On Baha'i Campus Organizations: EriQ Tells Story of U of A Baha'is' 50th Anniversary with Photo

EriQ has up on flicr this photo celebrating the University of Arizona Baha'i Association's 50th Year as a recognized student organization. Go to his flickr site and enjoy more photos from this prolific (2261 shots in his archive) and skilled photog, including his "Coffeehouz Open Mic night, 3/31," "MLK Day 2006," "Grand Canyon Bahá’í Conference 2005," and "Bahá’í Association Dinner" collections. Here are his profiles, the first from flickr and the second from MySpace where he talks about his love of hip hop:

I like to take pictures. Those who are close to me know that I always have my camera with me, and I take pictures of everything I do. I suck at keeping a written journal; I don't have the commitment to stick with it, so it eventually becomes neglected and forgotten. My pictures serve as a journal of sorts. The images tell a story. Welcome to my life.

EriQ, "Profile," flickr

"...Everyone's connected/ What we do makes a difference..." I really believe that each person has it within themselves to move the world. When I really get down to it, that's why I love music, and that's why I do it. Every time I put pen to paper is a chance for me to paint the words that could open someone's mind and really make them think. Every time I touch the mic is another opportunity to touch someone's heart and soul. Thought leads to action, and if I can be a part of the process that inspires positive thought and action, then it is all worth it.

"We've been together/ For such a long time now/ Music/ Music and me..." I've had a love thing with Hip-Hop for as long as I can remember. I remember playing old Hip-Hop 45s on my little portable Fisher Price turntable. I must have been six or seven. I first picked up a mic at the age of 13, when my friends got together one afternoon playing at the idea of being a "rap group". We called ourselves High Voltage or something outlandish like that. My sophomore year in high school, I was in a crew called Definition of Smooth. I remember hanging out in my friend's garage, where we would turn our cassette singles over to the B-side to rhyme over the instrumental. DOS was short-lived, and though my friends eventually passed their "rap phase" I stuck with it. In my junior year of high school I recorded some songs on an old 4 track and sold my tapes at school. I was getting somewhere with my art, but what the music lacked was purpose. I found purpose at 17 when I became a member of Eternal Flame Baha'i Youth Workshop. The idea of performing and having another avenue to express my art is what initially attracted me, but through the workshop I became a Baha'i and discovered a world that I did not know was there. I was inspired, and so was music right along with me. Diversoul Descendants was formed as a group of talented Baha'i eMCees. We rocked Arizona for a number of years, bringing skills and a positive message. It was an incredible experience to be a part of that.

EriQ, "About Me," MySpace