Education is the key to success, and The Three Doctors came to prove it.

The Butler University Celebration of Diversity Distinguished Lecture Series sponsored The Three Doctors on Thursday, Jan. 24 in Clowes Memorial Hall at Butler University.

Doctors Sampson Davis, Rameck Hunt, and George Jenkins spoke about how they made a pact to overcome the obstacles in their lives and become doctors. They stressed the importance of education and provided motivation for college students.

Davis, a Board Certified emergency medicine physician, talked about growing up in Newark, N.J., in an area of "dilapidation" and "despair." In fact, Hunt, who is now a Board Certified internist and an assistant professor, went to jail once as a teenager. He described this experience as his "'aha' moment."

One day, the three cut class together and were caught by the principal and the school security guard. Davis said that their only escape was the library, where a seminar about careers in the health sciences was being held. After sitting in on the lecture, the three made a pact to become doctors.

Davis said that people told him about the difficulty of college and implied that he could not do it. He encouraged the audience not to be discouraged by this kind of negativity.

Davis said that he received failing grades on the first two tests he took, but after receiving help, his grades improved. "Just because it's hard and just because it's difficult doesn't mean it's not for you," Davis said.

Jenkins, who is now a dentist and an assistant professor, said that he struggled with his organic chemistry class. "That first bad grade was a no," he said, and encouraged the audience not to take no for an answer.

"You gotta make sure you get those grades," Davis said. He said that sometimes he was jealous of other people who could have more fun in college. However, he learned to appreciate his situation. "You have to make the grass green on your side," he said.

Jenkins encouraged a balance between studying and fun. "When you work too hard you burn out," he said. "When you play too hard you get kicked out."

The three had fun, Jenkins said, but they also worked to get the grades that were necessary. He said that in the end it is worth the diligence. "You work harder without your education than with it," Jenkins said.

The doctors stressed the importance of friends that will encourage rather than discourage. They emphasized the fact that the basis for their motivation and success was the friendship they formed. "It really comes down to three young men who believed in one another," Davis said.

"We want you to have faith and believe in yourselves and understand the importance of education," Jenkins said.

Greg Wilson, Director of Minority Business Development for Mayor Greg Ballard, presented the doctors with keys to the city. Dr. Levester Johnson, Vice President of Student Affairs at Butler University, presented each doctor with a medal of distinction from Butler. The Black Student Union and the Student Government Association also gave the men awards.