BLOOMINGTON -- In the "never give up" spirit of the evening, Pastor William Bennett evoked the image a young Michael Jordan.

Before he became a six-time world champion with the Chicago Bulls, Jordan was cut as a sophomore by his high school basketball coach.

"He used his setback as a setup," Bennett said, and Jordan made the team as a junior.

Bennett, pastor at the City of Refuge Church of God, was speaking at the Minority Academic Achievement Recognition Ceremony on Monday evening.

"Focus when others are distracted. If you try, you can. If you believe, you will," he told a crowd estimated at 1,200 at Illinois Wesleyan University's Shirk Center.

They had come to cheer as about 300 minority students were awarded with honor roll recognition, taking the stage to receive ribbons with medals or trophies. More than 1,000 students, grades 5 through 12, from two dozen schools were eligible.

Two students being honored echoed those sentiments before the program.

"I feel like it really motivates and inspires so many people to get working really hard," Shobha Sridhar, 15, said of the ceremony. She will be a junior at Normal Community High School.

Xavier McSwain, 13, a Bloomington Junior High student, said the crowd of supporters was there because they were proud of the recipients in their families. The ceremony, and the support, means a lot to him. "It makes me happy when I'm sad or tired."

Kina Edwards of Bloomington said her son, Kalin, 6, has motivation to obtain his own awards after seeing the medals earned by his sister, Mikaila Walls, 15, a Bloomington High School student.

"I'm tickled pink," said Carol Walls, who drove from Springfield to see four grandchildren honored, including Mikaila, Jacob, Damaris and Willam Walls, all middle school students.

"It touches my heart to see them get awards and know they're good kids," the proud grandmother said.

Sponsors were IWU, State Farm Insurance Cos. and the Neighbor-to-Neighbor Educational Activity Club.