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When he was growing up in the Arkansas Delta, it might have been difficult to convince young DeKevious Wilson that he would one day be associated with a former president of the United States of America.

Through his pursuit of higher education and helping others, Wilson has achieved that distinction. He is one of 30 individuals selected as an Obama Foundation Scholar for the 2022-23 academic year.

A native of West Helena, Wilson earned a Master of Science degree in college student personnel from Arkansas Tech University in 2013. He selected ATU for graduate study, in part, because of an affinity for Russellville he developed spending summer days there with family members who live in the area.

There was a group of us, and we were looking at different graduate programs knowing we wanted to go into higher education, said Wilson. We didnt necessarily want to leave the state, but we wanted a good, competitive program. Arkansas Tech was it. Getting to know the professors, deans and building a tight-knit family with my cohort members helped a lot. It was a great experience.

That experience included the acquisition of techniques that aided Wilson as he went through the early years of his career, first as a higher education professional and later as a counselor for the South Side of Chicagos Youth Guidances Becoming A Man (BAM), a program that facilitates academic success and seeks to reduce violence among boys and young men of color.

Those theories that I acquired at Arkansas Tech really help me personalize the trajectory in which a particular student might go, said Wilson. Do we need to take a couple of steps back? Do we need to look further into other possibilities? Or, if I dont have the wherewithal, I know other individuals who can help in a particular area. That knowledge has helped me tremendously. I know for a fact it helped change the trajectory of the lives of students Ive worked with.

Knowing that I am able to put the student on a path that will allow them to find their own answer through their own decision-makingthats rewarding, continued Wilson. A lot of them dont realize they have autonomy and there are other options out there dealing with their social and emotional health.

Now that he has moved into an upper leadership role as a regional manager for the BAM program, Wilson is helping develop the policies that assist the young men under his organizations influence.

You wouldnt believe in 2022 we still deal with food deserts, said Wilson. There are still communities that dont have viable grocery stores where people can shop and get fresh produce and meats. Were dealing with communities that have been historically disenfranchised. Parents often work two-to-three jobs, so the oldest kid is the one who gets everyone else up, makes sure theres breakfast if they can and makes sure the little brother, little sister or cousin gets to school. There are young people who are great students, but they have to come to school late because they have to make sure little brother and little sister get to school safely.

Wilson cited access to reliable and quality health care as another common issue he sees among the young people he mentors.

Its a myriad of things these individuals are facing on a day-to-day basis, said Wilson. With the gun violence and gangssometimes thats the only family they have, and they only feel like they can be someone through that structure. This program gives them the opportunity to learn a new way to respond. These young men are human. When you get to know them, they want better for themselves and their family. A lot of them dont want to leave. They have to play a role in their families lives, but they want to be sustainable in that role.

Wilson is furthering his education by pursuing a masters degree in public policy at the University of Chicago.

Information from the Obama Foundation states the Obama Scholars program seeks to empower emerging leaders with a proven commitment to service with the tools they need to make their efforts more effective and impactful upon their return home.

For Wilson, home has dual meaning. Theres the home he has made in Chicago and the one back in Arkansas that always remains close to his heart.

Im a little boy from Helena-West Helena, Ark., said Wilson. To, one, be at the University of Chicago, and then to be honored as an Obama Scholarthe emotions were everywhere. By the same token, I was made for this. Its an accumulation of everything Ive done from Arkansas Boys State to Arkansas Governors School to all the things Ive doneeverything has prepared me for this moment. One thing the Obama Foundation is going to get from me is Southern hospitality and the life experiences I bring because of that.

I hope I can change and expand my view of how the world is constantly evolving and how were supposed to meet that mark, continued Wilson. I look forward to bringing that wealth of information back to my community here in Chicago as well as my home state of Arkansas. I will represent us with great dignity and Southern pride.

More:
ATU Alumnus Named Obama Foundation Scholar | Arkansas Tech University - ATU News

There is one long-standing question that has captured the imagination of humanity. Do aliens exist and if they do what do they look like.? For a really long time, many conspiracy theories dubbed Area 51 as a kind of a base that contained knowledge about extraterrestrial life. We still dont know what is the purpose of the base but Former US President Barack Obama may have given out Americas biggest secret to Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry.

Curry has met President Obama several times, and they seem to have become friends over the years. The duo has been spotted playing golf several times. And they even shot a commercial together, which went viral.

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And, incidentally, Obama may have revealed the secret about aliens to Curry.

After Obama left office in 2016, it was Donald Trump who became the next US president. Trump and Curry had a very viral Twitter war, and it appeared like the duo did not see eye to eye. But Curry was a good friend of Obama and the two would often chat. They even played golf together.

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Kim Kardashian, Lindsay Lohan and the NBA World Gets Sentimental as StephenCurrys Wife Shares Heartwarming Photo of Her Munchkins

about 22 hours ago

And at one such time when the two were golfing at Mar-a-Lago, Obama seemingly revealed one of the biggest kept secrets of the world. After a shot, he turned to Curry and said, You wont believe what the aliens look like.

There is no proof to back up Obamas statement, but when a former president of arguably the most powerful country in the world talks about aliens, there can definitely be some merit to it. However, many would argue that the 44th POTUS was just cracking a joke on popular stereotypes.

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Another time, Obama gave Curry a stern message to Curry. This was after Curry went on a podcast and claimed that the moon landing was fake. He got a pretty intense mail from the former president and he asked Curry to make it right. And in turn, Curry went on Instagram and chatted with his millions of fans and cleared the air.

Curry has spoken highly about President Obama and the impact he has had on his life and on the country. Obama is also a fan of Curry and often raves about his shooting ability.

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WATCH THIS STORY: Is Stephen Curry a billionaire?

The two seem to be good friends and Obama even went as far as to reveal what might be Americas biggest secret to the Dubs superstar.

More here:
Does the US Government Know About Aliens? Barack Obama Seemingly Told Stephen Curry about Americas Biggest Secret - EssentiallySports

The Queen met a host of famous faces during the course of her 70 year reign, including numerous presidents and heads of state. During her 90th birthday, she received a visit from former US President Barack Obama and his wife.

During their three day visit, Barack and Michelle met Prince Harry and The Prince and Princess of Wales (formerly The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge) at Kensington Palace for dinner.

Little George, who was only a few years old, stayed up past his bedtime to greet the former US President and the First Lady whilst wearing his dressing gown.

READ NEXT: The Queen's death: Is Camilla the Queen now Charles has become King?

Official photographs show the Obama's crouching down to shake George's hand, as well as smiling as they watch him play with his rocking horse.

A month later, Barack fondly recalled the moment he met Prince George during the US President's final Correspondents' Dinner in May 2016.

He jokingly said: "Last week, Prince George showed up to our meeting in his bathrobe.... That was a slap in the face. A clear breach of protocol."

Prince George has met quite a few legendary figures over the past few years, including tennis ace Roger Federer when he was only a few years old.

The Princess of Wales was rumoured to have arranged a tennis lesson for Prince George when he was only five with the multiple Grand Slam Champion.

So much so, Prince George attended the Wimbledon Men's Singles Final this year with his parents to watch Novak Djokovic win his seventh title.

For all the latest updates following the Queen's death, follow our live blog here.Want more from MyLondon? Sign up to our daily newsletters for all the latest and greatest from across London here.

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The cute moment US President Obama met Prince George in a dressing gown - My London

The European Union is a collection of 28 member states located in Europe. This unified body eliminates border control allowing for the flow of people and goods. Member states also receive technologies and are represented by the EU within judicial and legislative institutions. In return, member states are subject to binding laws as a condition of their membership, and must adopt laws implemented by the EU in areas including foreign policy and defense. The total population of the EU is 512,596,403, according to the most recent estimates taken in 2018.

As mentioned, 28 states are a part of the European Union. These states are (in alphabetical order): Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. However, it is important to note that the United Kingdom will be exiting the EU in 2019.

The predecessor of the EU was formed in 1957. This was known as the European Economic Community. The founding members included France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and West Germany. This organization became known as the EU in 1958. Throughout the years, it has grown with more members, with the most recent, Croatia, joining in 2013. Common policies on trade, agriculture and development are shared by the member states.

The largest member state of the EU by area is France, which is also the second largest by population. The largest by population is Germany, which is estimated to have 82,437,641 residents. All but three of the member states have populations that exceed one million residents. Cyprus, Luxembourg and Malta are the three least-populated member states, with Maltas population falling just under 500,000 people. Malta is also the smallest member state by area.

The most populated city in the EU is London, UK, which has a population of over 12 million. Paris, France only falls slightly behind with a population rapidly approaching 12 million. The third most populous city is Madrid, which has over 6.6 million residents.

When breaking down the population of the EU as a whole, just 9.4% of residents were born outside of their resident country. There are 24 official languages spoken throughout the EU, with 51% of residents speaking English. Other languages include German, French, Italian, Spanish and Poland, just to name a few. There are also over 150 regional and minority languages spoken by about 50 million residents. There is no official religion observed in the EU. Most residents are Christian, with over 71% following this religion. Of this number over 45% are Catholic, while other Christian religions include Protestant and Eastern Orthodox. Other religions observed in the UK include Muslim and other faiths, although these are minority religions.

The European Union has seen slight growth in recent years. The birth rate is about 10 per 1,000 people, which falls below the world average. According to estimates from 2016, the population rose just 0.23%. Slow growth is expected in the near future, but the population will decrease significantly when the UK withdraws from the EU in 2019.

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European Union Population 2022 - worldpopulationreview.com

European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, June 17, 2022. REUTERS/Yves Herman

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BRUSSELS, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Greenpeace and other environmental campaigners have launched legal challenges against the European Commission over its decision to include natural gas and nuclear energy in the EU's list of "green" investments.

They argue the European Union violated its own climate laws by doing this, citing the greenhouse gas emissions produced by gas power plants, and say the move risks diverting investments into fossil fuels instead of renewable energy.

Greenpeace said it had requested an internal review of the Commission's decision to label gas and nuclear energy as green. Four other environmental groups - WWF, Friends of the Earth Germany, Transport & Environment and ClientEarth - focused on gas.

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The Commission said it would reply to the requests in due course.

In focus is the European Union's 'taxonomy', a rulebook defining which investments can be labelled climate friendly and designed to guide investors towards green projects that will help deliver the bloc's emissions-cutting targets.

The Commission has until February to respond. If the Commission does not withdraw the rules, the groups said they would take their challenges to the European Court of Justice.

"Gas is a leading cause of climate and economic chaos, while there is still no solution to the problem of nuclear radioactive waste and the risk of nuclear accidents is far too significant to ignore," Greenpeace campaigner Ariadna Rodrigo said.

The Commission had excluded gas power plants from its original taxonomy proposal, but added them later, amid a fierce political debate among EU countries - who disagree on whether the fuel deserves a 'green' label.

Brussels said it had added "strict conditions" to the final rules for gas plants, including an emissions limit and a requirement to switch to low-carbon gases by 2035.

Representatives from five non-profit groups quit their roles advising the Commission on the taxonomy last week, citing the EU's handling of the gas and nuclear rules. read more

Separately, Luxembourg and Austria, which both oppose nuclear power and have warned against labelling gas as green, are preparing a legal challenge to the EU rules.

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Reporting by Kate Abnett; Editing by Susan Fenton

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Greenpeace takes legal action over EU's 'green' label for gas and nuclear - Reuters