It finally clicked for me that completing my degree was a stepping stone to help me make a difference in the lives of young people. That was all the fuel I needed to see it through.
It finally clicked for me that completing my degree was a stepping stone to help me make a difference in the lives of young people. That was all the fuel I needed to see it through.
At UC Santa Cruz, I made friends quickly and I got involved in everything. I petitioned to start a Black Men’ s Alliance( which is still thriving today), interned at the Women’ s Center, joined the rugby team, and directed a play about Hurricane Katrina.
Then, my life pivoted in a way I never expected— in a way that would affirm my purpose forever. My younger cousin, Davante, looked up to me, so when I started school I made it a point to show him what college was all about. I would bring him and his best friend to campus regularly and they stayed with me in the dorms. One night before Davante’ s birthday, I texted him but I didn’ t get a response. The next morning, I woke up to learn that Davante had been shot and killed.
I never had a moment to grieve when I went back to campus. I didn’ t care about finishing school anymore. I’ d completely lost sight of my motivation to graduate. With the support of campus advisors and my College Track family, I was able to keep going. I remember countless conversations with my mentor, reminding me of the future I had ahead of me, and how much Davante would have wanted me to continue.
It finally clicked for me that completing my degree was a stepping stone to help me make a difference in the lives of young people. That was all the fuel I needed to see it through.
Today, as a Homeless Youth Liaison for the Santa Clara County Office of Education, I advocate for families whose voices often go unheard. In any given week, I will look for a student who hasn’ t shown up to school, connect families to shelters, or buy bus passes and clothes for students living out of cars or on the street.
I always tell my students that the world is bigger than one city. They can live a life past the hustle, past what the media portrays, and sometimes even how they’ re labeled by adults.
This fall, I started a master’ s program in Public Administration at San Jose State University. I’ m committed to learning about the systems and policies we need to change in order to honor our young people and communities. And, I believe in a world where we all take part in that change together.
Losing him made me reflect on teen gun violence, and how youth are growing up in a troubled society, and yet they are labeled as troubled youth.
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