Curtis
Walls is more than what meets the surface. As one looks at Walls from the
inside out, it is easy to realize that he is much more than a wide receiver and
businessman. Does he love football? Yes, but it’s not his life. Is he a
businessman? Yes, but he also loves reading philosophical books. In fact, the
Charlotte native always had a passion for changing the world.
“I
always wanted to influence the masses,” Walls said.
As
a man of God, his ability to do so became evident through his leadership roles
and experiences on the field and in life.
While
studying at the North Carolina Agriculture & Technology, Walls wanted to do
three things which were to play football, join Alpha Phi Alpha which is the
first black fraternity within the National Pan-Hellenic Council and become the
Student Government Association’s president. By senior year, Walls accomplished
all, but one thing on his Aggie goal list.
He
served as a leading wide receiver and captain of the Aggie team. He received a
NCAA leadership award for his involvement in sports. He also gained the
opportunity to play for the Black College All Star Football game. He became a
member of Alpha Phi Alpha serving leadership positions in his fraternity.
Walls’ senior year in college, he ran for the president of the Student
Government Association. Walls won the popular election by 49%, but loss the
re-election by three unique votes.
However,
an opportunity opened for Walls to serve as the president of the National
Pan-Hellenic Council. The National Pan-Hellenic Council was the second largest
body of student government on the campus. He was able to meet great leaders and
sat in meetings with other prominent leaders on the campus including the Student
Government Association’s president.
“It ended up being a blessing,” Walls
continued.
Blessing in
Disguise
After
graduating with a degree in landscape architecture, Walls was torn between
playing football and entering corporate America. The opportunity to play in the
all-star game while in college became a pivotal moment in Walls’ life. His
original plans after college was to begin a career as a landscape architect, but he realized the possibility of actually turning
football into a career.
He
chose to pursue a career in his major. He moved to Aspen, Colo., where he
worked at Design Workshop. He was the first black landscape architect in the
company.
In
disguise, football would enter back into his life while in Aspen. In 2008, he
was laid off from Design Workshop. It was at this moment, he knew this was his
opportunity to pursue his dream of playing professional football.
Walls
said, he left corporate America and went back to the football field.
He
moved back to Charlotte and started training. He was able to play for a
Canadian League football and Arena League football in Pittsburgh, Penn.
Walls as a
Businessman
Walls
has several titles to his name including Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
of TIME as well as managing partner of both the Charlotte Greek Picnic and
NXL21 Charlotte Marketing Agency.
TIME
stands for Taking Initiative Moving Efficiently was created while Walls was
brainstorming during his student government presidential campaign. TIME was
just a theory, but it would eventually develop into much more.
TIME
started while the creator was in college, he said.
There
was a police incident in one of the dorms, and a group of students went to
address the 21st century students and bring awareness to the
community of the different issues, Walls continued.
The
young leader joined forces with the president of the Student Government
Association who also had an initiative called MOVE to create a variety of
platforms geared towards the men in the community. The rest is history.
It
is a service-based organization with a broad number of issues that are
addressed, Walls said. There are three main concepts of TIME, which are the
following: exposure of the mind, the next step and the state of.
The
organization hosts YOUth EmpowHERment and YOUth EmpowerMENt Summits for middle
and high school aged boys and girls annually. This September, the organization
will kick off their MENtor Empowerment Network for 7 to 12th grade
boys in Charlotte to “develop a bond built on goal specific engagement and
empowerment” (http://www.timetoempower.com/news-events/).
Currently,
TIME is planning its inaugural Single Mother Empowerment Symposium this year.
Walls,
who briefly was raised in a single family home, explained he realized the
importance for a program of this caliber based on the assessments gathered from
to the boys and girls empowerment summits.
“We
developed a concept of hitting each family member – one at a time,” Walls said.
The
event will be hosted by Yasmin Young of Power 98 and will feature a celebrity
keynote speaker, dynamic panel of single mothers and a five star meal.
This
is an opportunity to provide single mothers with resources for their children
and for them as a woman, Walls said.
Walls’
upcoming projects with TIME are far from all that he is doing right now. He is
also preparing for the annual Charlotte Greek Picnic weekend. The weekend officially
begins September 5 and ends on September 7. This year, the weekend will feature
a stroll-off competition in partnership with the University of North Carolina –
Charlotte’s National Pan-Hellenic Council. The weekend will conclude with the
picnic at Marshall Park and the finale party at Re:Public in Charlotte.
He
said the overall mission of the Charlotte Greek Picnic is to revitalize the
Greek culture in Charlotte and allow doors to open for everyone.
The
planning committee members are expecting everyone to have a great time and
leave the concept that the Charlotte Greek Picnic has arrived.
“We
are officially creating our own weekend,” Walls said.
On
September 29, NXL21 Charlotte Marketing Agency will host a Freestyle Comedy
Show at the Comedy Zone in the Music Factory in Charlotte. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Passion for
football and chasing dreams
By
now, Walls’ passion for football is apparent. He loves the game of football
beyond the plays, the number of touchdowns or yards, but rather because of the
commitment and discipline of the game that can be used in everyday life.
“Football
is life, but life isn’t football,” Walls said.
This is a quote he learned while
playing in college.
He
realized the quote could not only be applied to the field, but in life as well.
Football
requires commitment and discipline and experiences in life require the same, he
explained.
Walls
also has a passion for coaching.
The
value of coaching is developing a well-rounded man versus an athlete, he said.
He
hosts various coaching camps in Charlotte for young boys and individual
coaching sessions with youth athletes.
As
a philosophical thinker, Walls is passionate about inspiration from a
conceptual level and acting on possibilities.
“We
all have dreams,” he said. However, few act on it.
Hope for a
fulfilling life
Walls
hopes for a satisfying life where he wakes up to do what he wants to do. He
also hopes to eventually start a family.
A
woman of God who is confident, doesn't have to be totally involved in his
career, and he can support her dreams are the qualities Walls is looking in his
future wife.
“She knows her husband is invested in making
her feel fulfilled,” he said.
Respect
regardless of situations
Respect
is “the value of being respectful to people regardless if they respect you or
not,” Walls said. “As long as my actions are sincere, they will eventually
see.”
Despite
the circumstance and situations, respect can change perceptions.
Empowered by
adversity
Different
points in Walls’ life empower him to continue to move forward because the
possibilities are limitless.
Walls
explained that he’s experienced many blessings, setbacks and adversities, but
they are all processes in life.
“I’m
empowered by all processes,” he said.
Walls
compares the instant rich person versus the person who becomes rich over time.
The
person who becomes rich instantly misses the life lessons to understand how to
stay rich versus the person who becomes rich over time will understand how to
keep it, he said.
Walls’
calls those life lessons “moments of glory.”
Ambition to
keep moving
Similar
to Walls’ passion, hope and empowerment, he is ambitious to keep moving. He
wants to continue to maximize his potential, which in turn equals quality.
“Quality
is never an accident,” Walls said. “I never saw three years ago, I would be
doing what I’m doing.”
