Aaron Haire is not worried about what the future holds because he knows what he holds for the future, beyond his bright smile and pleasant demeanor.

Haire has been equipped with an outstanding acumen in both the athletic and academic fields, along with a penchant for civic service which is driven by a desire to make his community a better place.

Haire is the 22-year-old son of Orangeburg City Councilman Bernard Haire and his wife, Vernell. He graduated May 24 from South Carolina State University, where he majored in professional biology and served as a star punter on the football team. The straight-A honor student practiced the ideals of integrity, humility and teamwork both on and off the field.

He organized the school's first charity road race in partnership with his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., and has been a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes since his days as a student at Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School. He is also a member of S.C. State's Health Profession Society and the National Golden Key Honor Society.

Haire has chosen to forgo his final year of eligibility with the Bulldogs to enroll in medical school in August at Temple University in August, where he will major in podiatric medicine. But it is Haire's ability to empower those around him to achieve their own goals and creating his own environment for success that have earned his designation as the exemplification of leadership by the Orangeburg County Community of Character initiative.

It is a designation which Haire considers an honor, albeit a surprising one.

"Leadership was always something that was sort of passed down to me through my involvement with athletics and having good coaches and parents as mentors and role models. I grew up being in the position to lead and guide others," Haire said. "In the FCA, I was huddle leader and president. I had to coordinate a lot of things. On the football field, I was a leader. I had a lot of responsibility as a punter. I was trained in leadership early on in life."

Oliver "Buddy" Pough, S.C. State head football coach, has said Haire has a leadership style that is commendable.

"Aaron is a 'do' guy. A lot of people talk a bunch ... , but Aaron actually goes out and practices it. He does so many things in a positive manner. He creates his leadership style so people kind of observe him doing what he does in his day-to-day routine. There's all kinds of things that he's involved in from volunteer organizations and doing things for the community," Pough said. "He's all about getting things done."

Aaron, who has two older sisters, Alicia and Tina, said his parents created an environment through which he was "pushed and driven to do better than what you did the last time."

"It's just starting in the church as a youth and ... treating people how you would like to be treated: being patient with others, understanding people's needs and trying to be selfless. A good leader has to be able to listen to others. You can't be the person that's just always ready to give orders. ... A leader needs to be compassionate of the needs of others. They need to be understanding and, above all, patient," said Haire, adding that there were many distractions which could have derailed his athletic and educational pursuits.

But he said he had a game plan which he encourages other young adults to use.

"Set goals. I jot out goals that I seek to achieve in life. I sort of try to ... plot a path to getting one step closer to it. Growing up in Orangeburg, there's just lots of things that can come in and distract you. That's where a lot of people my age get sidetracked and in trouble. They allow people to throw them off their focus and end up getting caught," Haire said. "Aim for the stars. Don't let anyone tell you that something is too much for you to achieve. Let yourself be the determining factor of that."

Pough said of Haire, "He's been maybe as focused a guy as I've been around. We've been fortunate enough here recently to have some really good kids in our (football) program. ... All these guys do extremely well not only on the football field, but they're also very good students and involved in things. They're always looking for things to try to help their fellow man. I think that's a quality that is more innate and learned. It think they just kind of got something in them that makes them want to be that way."

Haire, who begins his studies at Temple University on Aug. 23, but will leave Orangeburg earlier to participate in a two-week summer enrichment program at the school, said he is appreciative of the Orangeburg County Community of Character.

"Having certain people out of the community that exhibit positive character traits is a good tool for inspiring people to lead them into success," he said. "They can see that if I did it, they can do it also. They can follow in my footsteps and be just as good as I am or better."

T&D Staff Writer Dionne Gleaton can be reached by e-mail at dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5534.

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