By Ava Schwab | Reporter
The recently-closed Brooks Dining Hall — now simply Brooks Great Hall — was once again filled with laughter and food on Tuesday night as Pop’s Lemonade owner Omari Head delivered a lecture on his life journey.
“Stories of Purpose” brought life back to the former dining hall from 6 to 8 p.m. in Brooks Great Hall, which shifted away from food-service and was repurposed last semester, according to a press release.
Students and faculty came together under the lights of Brooks Great Hall, some there for the free food, some for Pop’s Lemonade and others for a time of community — but all stayed to listen intently to what Head had to say.
“From baseball, to training, to student affairs, to administration and then into business — it’s been quite the journey, a journey I never would have been ready for or capable of without going to college,” Head said.
Throughout his life, Head said he had many unplanned events guide him to where he is today. He began his speech by explaining how his ambitions to be in the NFL shifted to wanting to be a trainer for the NFL, then to ministry and finally to business ownership. Each shift, Head said, led him to a “different point, but it was all the same path.”
Now, Head owns the thriving Pop’s Lemonade and is always looking for opportunities to help out college students. Pop’s Lemonade is a well-known staple for many in the Baylor and Waco community.
“Although I’m not working in my field of study now, every aspect of my life has been intentionally crafted just for me by God,” Head said.
Head emphasized that it was the imposition of others — his athletic trainer, mother and other mentors that impacted his decision-making and guided him on the path he is on today.
Head shared his own story of discerning vocation and taking faithful steps even as his journey has led him in surprising directions.
“My life mantra is flow, not force,” Head said.
Framing the mantra as a way of choosing peace over pressure, Head explained that a mentor told him that it is not picking which is “right or wrong,” but “left or right.”
“Why swim against the current when you can just go with the flow?” Head said.
For Head, this conviction rested completely on his faith in God.
“I’m a firm believer that God is always doing something, we just have to locate and jump into what he’s already doing,” Head said.
As he closed out his speech, Head said trust has been his most valuable trait, which has guided him to a rich life.
“It’s about trusting the process, being open and walking in peace rather than in pressure,” Head said.
Benton, Ark., sophomore Lochlan Walsh said she loves attending events where people talks about their jobs.
“They’re able to incorporate their faith into something as simple as the business world where we wouldn’t normally think that faith would be involved,” Walsh said.
Head ended the event by emphasizing that the past, is simply “fuel for excitement about tomorrow,” he said.
“Everything you experience is getting you ready for what’s next,” Head said. “And you know the beautiful part about that is that you don’t have to know what’s next. It ain’t even over yet. There’s so much to come.”
