“History is interesting because of the high stakes,” says Malik Watkins. “Everyone is a historian because storytelling is the most basic human instinct, and the stories we tell have more power than anything else.”
Watkins’ story begins in Macon, Georgia, where he was born to mother, Lisa, a social worker and therapist, and father, Matthew, a warehouse manager. The family moved frequently when he was young, with stints in Byron, Dublin, and Lawrenceville, before finally settling in Sugar Hill when Watkins was seven.
Watkins graduated from Lanier High School in 2021 and started attending Georgia Gwinnett College the same year.
“I chose GGC because of the convenience,” Watkins explained. “I graduated from high school with no real plan.”
His story took a turn in the Spring of 2022, when severe health issues forced him to withdraw from all of his classes and prevented him from returning in the fall.
“I truly believed my collegiate experience was over,” he recalled.
It would be more than a year later, the Fall of 2023, when he was finally well enough to return to school full-time.
“This gap seemed like a severe setback that I would never be able to recover from,” Watkins said. “I felt like everyone was leaving me behind, and I wanted to give up entirely.”
His parents pleaded with him to go back to school, so he re-enrolled to appease them.
His expectations were low, but what he found upon his return surprised him.
“Far from being a dead end, returning to GGC was a fresh start,” he said. “I was amazed at the network of support waiting for me.”
As part of his fresh start, he switched his major from computer science to history.
“This was a difficult move, because computer science came much more naturally to me, and it was the degree most of my friends were pursuing,” he explained. “But I took the chance to do something new. I discovered I have an incredible passion for history.”
Studying the past has helped today and for the future.
“I try to use the lessons of the past every day in my life to better the world,” he said. “Studying history has taught me empathy and to consider all viewpoints, as well as to listen to the voices that are often not heard. It’s helped me to ask bigger questions about the world and myself.”
Watkins said his professors met his passion, and the small class sizes allowed students to really engage with complex ideas.
“My reading and writing skills improved dramatically, and I am a much better thinker and speaker now than I was just a couple of years ago,” he said.
Beyond his academic success at GGC, Watkins said he found a community.
“I have met all types of people from all different backgrounds, ethnicities, nationalities, ages and classes,” he said. “I’ve met lifelong friends and have even found love. Most importantly, I was able to find myself.”