Local author inspired by medical battles to deliver LSUS commencement address Friday

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Local author inspired by medical battles to deliver LSUS commencement address Friday

SHREVEPORT - "Seize the day."

The sentiment is one of the most common shared at graduations around the country.

But for LSUS commencement speaker Crystal Gantt, it's a sentiment she lives more literally than most.

A two-time survivor of brain tumors, Gantt said those tumors are back for a third time, although in a state where monitoring has sufficed with no direct medical intervention required for the past couple of years.

"I do value the 'seize the day' attitude more than others because I've been faced with the thought and possibility of not having life," Gantt said. "I do think about this message consciously.

"Sometimes you go through trials and adversity, and it changes your perspective on life, your future, and what you what to experience. It enlightens us, and it makes you evaluate what you want for yourself and what you want to achieve."

Gantt will share her story with LSU Shreveport graduates Friday to highlight the summer graduation ceremonies at Brookshire Grocery Arena.

Sharing her testimony has always been something Gantt has made time to do, and she said she jumped at the chance to speak to a graduating class from her alma mater.

"My first was reaction was emotional," Gantt said. "Believe it or not, after recovering from the brain tumors the second time, one thing I told my mom was that I was going to stand in front of hundreds of people to tell my story.

"I knew this was confirmation, a time to share with more people the power of overcoming adversity."

CHASING HER DREAM

When doctors told Gantt the brain tumors were back for a second time, the Minden High graduate was just about to finish her Master of Business Administration online from LSUS in 2016.

With books and homework in hand at that appointment, Gantt thought it was a joke.

"The first thing I thought was that I can't do this again, Gantt said. "Why is this happening to me? I'm so young.

"But after those waves of emotion, then came the strength, the resilience and the courage. Ok, I have to go through it again, I have to beat it again. There is a purpose and a reason - there's a testimony at the end."

That scare and subsequent surgery in 2018 pushed Gantt to pursue her dream of becoming an author.

Writing wasn't the hard part - Gantt had written poetry and other stories since age 6.

A product of a long line of teachers, from mother Carolyn to many of her aunts, reading and writing have been key pillars in Gantt's foundation.

Getting published was the trick, so she decided to launch her own publishing company.

Gantt started by attending a beginner's publishing class through LSUS Continuing Education, which laid the first brick in what would become William Madison Publishing, LLC, in 2021.

"One of the things I learned from that publishing class through (LSUS Continuing Education) - our writing is our business," said Gantt, who paired that knowledge with other nuggets gleaned from her MBA. "One professor told us that entrepreneurship was the wave of the future, and he encouraged us to invest in ourselves and become business owners.

"I never forgot that. The MBA program was pivotal for me because it helped me to understand the business side of a company. Understanding workplace culture, diversity in the workplace, business finances and customer service; I'll use that knowledge in my publishing business for years to come."

EVOLVING AUTHOR

Gantt started her writing career in young children's books like interactive and activity books.

Gantt, who is African-American, wanted characters that looked like her represented in her books.

Those titles gave way to books for children a bit older with titles like "Snowfall: A Snow Day Story" and "Glorious: A Child's Special Prayer".

Her most recent title is "Summer Reign" about a young Louisiana girl who has just finished school for the summer.

Gantt has also ventured into guided journals like 30-Day Prayer Journal for men and women and Church Service Notes: Trusting God's Anointed Word.

"I have evolved as an author since starting out, and I get to tell little pieces of my story in the prayer journals," Gantt said. "I've also began writing country music songs.

"I'm constantly trying to find new ways of expressing my creativity and telling stories. Song writing is poetry and storytelling, and country music especially is a genre that's geared toward storytelling. I'm loving this new era."

Gantt wrote the song "She Loves Me" for up and coming artist Brex Knox.

The mother of a three-year-old daughter says that it's been surreal to watch her child interact with books she's written.

"Everybody said I literally manifested being a mom because I was writing these books before she was born," Gantt said. "Now that she's here, it gives me so many more stories to tell.

"I can't wait to write more now that I have a toddler to share her experiences and our experiences because there's so much creativity that comes through a child's voice and thoughts."

AN ADDITIONAL PATH

Gantt began to meet with and educate the incarcerated in Caddo Parish.

She works with inmates housed in the Caddo Correctional Center that come from all over the region.

"To be a key figure in helping adults make life-altering decisions has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life," Gantt said. "They have an opportunity to leave the jail and the system and do something different.

"Being able to share my story has the power to motivate and encourage individuals who thought there was no hope. They say they appreciate when they feel human, when we talk about there being more to life than what's currently in front of them. I never thought I would or could be doing God's work in this way."

Gantt added that graduates should be open to following different paths than the ones clearly marked in front of them.

"Continue to live outside the box," Gantt said. "There's no limit to what you can do."