More than hopes and dreams: Daniel, Class of 2019, 3DE at Banneker High School

DANIEL epitomizes the transformation that is possible among thousands of students through 3DE.

Daniel often reflects that by middle school his parents had lost hope in him. He was hanging with the wrong crowd, making bad decisions, and his sisters were starting to follow in his footsteps. Unknowingly, he was bringing his entire family down.

In school, he was doing what he had to do to get by, but he did not have any connection to education and therefore no connection to his future.  

“I thought I was on track to win. It was not until 3DE showed me, I was not even in the game.”

Freshman year, Daniel began to fail. “I was doing the same thing I had always done, but that was no longer acceptable. The teachers did not let us just coast by.”

It was through conversations with his teachers he started to realize that not only do they care, but they actually believe in his aspirations to be an entrepreneur.

“It was a feeling from my teachers and school that I had never experienced before. I needed to step up to the plate. In 10th grade I made honor roll for the first time in my life. Boy, that felt good!”

As a Junior, Daniel is an active leader in 3DE as well as Banneker High School and his community. He continues to maintain honor roll, plays on the Varsity Baseball team and works part-time.

“I'm no longer just going through the motions at school. It may be a struggle at times, but I’m dedicated because there’s a purpose, and I can see the future that I’m headed towards. My parents are excited for me too!”

When asked what Daniel thinks about 3DE he responds with:

“Every school and every student has the opportunity to grow, but without teachers like ours and the real-world experiences we get, so many will not have the push to achieve their potential. It is like 3DE and Banneker provided the roots to grow, and with that foundation we all flourished and became the rose that grew from the concrete.”

“When I think about the next generation of leaders, I think about me and all of our classmates. We’re not only a generation of hopes and dreams, we also have the skills, experiences, and hunger to become business leaders of today and tomorrow. For me, I’m confident in my ability to be a leading business man working in the tech field because that is the way of the future.”