SWC News Center

AJ Green: A Legacy in Motion

By: Stephanie Kingston - February 13, 2026

On any given day at Southwestern College, there’s a quiet rhythm to Abdullah Jalil (AJ) Green’s life. A basketball bouncing on the hardwood. Pages turning in the library. Conversations that turn into connections inside the Men of Color space. It’s a rhythm built on discipline, faith, and community with a much longer story.

Born and raised in Chicago, AJ relocated to California with his mother and graduated from El Camino High School in Oceanside in 2019. The move proved to be a defining moment, one that ultimately led him to Southwestern College. Drawn to the program and eager to play basketball for Head Coach Tyrone Shelley, AJ reached out to express his interest. Although he enrolled late in the fall of 2025, what could have been a setback instead became a turning point in his journey.

Thanks to Coach Shelley, AJ was introduced to Men of Color (MOC), a program that empowers men of color to excel academically, build strong identities, and foster leadership on and off campus. For AJ, MOC became more than a program, it became a touchstone.

“It’s a space where you can chill, knock out homework, and build community,” AJ said.

Balancing college, athletics, and employment, that sense of belonging and connection mattered. Through MOC, AJ found mentorship and brotherhood, including Victor Brown, a Success Coach, whom he describes as both a friend and a guide. “We pray together,” AJ shared. It is a simple statement that speaks to the depth of trust and support he found. Beyond mentorship, MOC offered tangible resources, including gas assistance, food, financial literacy workshops, and professional clothing for off-campus interviews all providing the practical support needed to succeed.

Now a Business Administration major with a 4.0 GPA, AJ balances a full-time course load with life as a point guard for Southwestern College basketball and a job with a security services provider commuting nearly an hour each way to work. He says the key to his success is routine.  And his routine is demanding—class, basketball, recovery, homework, work—but it keeps him grounded, especially when guided by his faith.

“Setbacks are not losses—they’re lessons,” he said. It’s advice he would share with other students who, like him, may be navigating unfamiliar or challenging times. He encourages them to seek out resources in EOPS for enrollment support, tutoring services, and the library’s laptop and hotspot loans, tools that help turn access into success. AJ also credits SWC Cares staff as being helpful, kind and respectful.

“I love this campus,” AJ said. “The botanical garden, the new student union, you can tell Southwestern College is invested in helping students grow and develop.”

Set to graduate in 2027, AJ’s vision reaches far beyond himself. He hopes to play basketball professionally, pursue a career in health and wellness, and eventually become a philanthropist running a nonprofit that helps address real-world challenges.

During Black History Month, AJ Green’s story reminds us that history is not only something we honor from the past, it’s something being built every day through perseverance and care. His guiding principle is simple but powerful: make someone’s day a little better.

It’s a legacy in motion, one grounded in purpose, and carried forward through community.