Cedric Crawley hopes to continue traveling

By Jess Growden, ENGL 336.002

“If you see any cars you don’t know, you come in the house,” Cedric Crawley's mother told him. A native of Bowie, Maryland, Cedric was in the seventh grade when the notorious D.C. sniper was actively gunning down victims. Cedric attended the very middle school where Iran Brown, also a student, was shot and injured. By some stroke of luck, Cedric’s usual bus was late that morning and he was safe. However, he did witness the hole left in the glass when the bullet hit the school. 

Cedric’s mother was quite shaken by the whole ordeal and, like many concerned parents; she insisted that he spend most of his free time close to home or inside pursuing safer activities. This could be what cultivated the philosophical side of Cedric. He mostly enjoys writing and thinking, saying, “I am always running things through my head.” He has a habit of jotting down ideas and things that he learns into composition notebooks and loose papers. He is always Googling things and his friends admire his ability to bring up random, yet relevant facts. 

In 2007, Cedric visited China as a People to People International Student Ambassador, a program started by Dwight D. Eisenhower. He traveled with a group of like-minded teenagers who shared his interest in seeing the world. Student Ambassadors spend weeks studying and preparing for their journey. On the trip, landmarks and museums are visited and there is a home-stay portion where the American students spend a few nights with Chinese families, thus gaining a more intimate experience with Chinese culture. For many, the trip is life changing. Cedric was no different. “I changed, but me and my friends were still cool,” he said of returning home to everyday life. 

His experiences abroad definitely influenced his choice of career. His dream job is to travel and write about his adventures. He often gets melancholy about the current state of the world and how hopeless some of the problems tend to be. In China, Cedric, like many on their first travels overseas, witnessed a type of poverty that is not as prominent in the United States. He would like to bring to light the situations of others, perhaps with his writing. As of now, Cedric, 21, is a junior at Frostburg State University, studying Professional Writing. Of his college experience he said, “It’s a lot more quiet [than at home] but I enjoy the peace. I learned to appreciate the silence.”