Academy Park High School hosts 200 students at ‘What’s Your Passion?’ festival

SHARON HILL >> Davoughnte Brown once had to navigate his way through drug dealers and pickpockets to get to school and he wondered if that’s what his life would become.

Yet, the 18-year-old Academy Park High School senior dreams of playing collegiate football and studying social services and shared his story at the school’s “What’s Your Passion?” festival Saturday in hopes of motivating others.

The “What’s Your Passion?” festival was started at Academy Park High School three years ago by now-alum Victor Arriyo, who conceived the idea while attending the Bezos Family Foundation Scholar program.

Academy Park math teacher Susan Reutter who helped Arriyo organize the event said it’s geared to expose students to career choices and inspire them to start on that path today.

She said a fellow teacher described it as “a career fair but on steroids.”

Reutter said the organizers wanted Brown to share his story as many students attending could relate to his experience.

Brown lived in different parts of Philadelphia from Kensington to North Philadelphia before coming to Academy Park High School four years ago. He spoke of what his previous were like.

“Every day, you have to deal with not getting shot, stabbed, robbed,” the senior and football player said. “There was a lot of people in my middle school dying, having kids, they drop out and start doing drugs … after a while, I thought this is what my life is going to turn out to be.”

One of the coordinators of the event, Will Talbot, told the 200 students that even then, Brown mattered.

“Look at the positive side, this guy still has dreams, guy still has hopes,” Talbot said of Brown. “He still wants to play football, he still wants to go to college.”

He encouraged neighborhoods the students to go after their goals.

“You guys are kids,” he said. “You have the energy to chase after your dreams. You’re not like you’re 56-years-old, thinking that your life is over.”

Talbot told them to take advantage of the professionals, many Academy Park alumni and spanning careers from mathematicians to cancer researchers to corporate attorneys, on hand to tell them the path to take to get to where they want to be.

Mike Jones, a mechanic and instructor with the Steamfitters Union Local 420 and a 2004 Academy Park alum, was one of them.

“For the people who are undecided whether they want to go to college or not, this is still a successful choice,” he said. “It can lead to a successful career. You can make good money in this trade and in this business.”

The Steamfitters have attended all three years and Jones explains that more students are interested each year.

That’s what the organizers want to see.

Talbot told the students, “I truly believe in my heart that anything’s possible. Truly do. I also believe that we have to have a community of people around us to be successful.”

He said that getting that support to attain dreams was a big part of the day as students connected with professionals in careers they would like to pursue.

“There’s a lot of hard work that comes into making your dreams become a reality,” Talbot said. “It’s one thing to talk about those things. It’s another thing to live it.”

And, Brown himself is doing just that, especially since his family moved to the Southeast Delco School District.

“My mom moved up here and people say this is a dead end but I actually see more opportunity,” the teen said. “I got out of the worst of the worst. …. It’s more than meets the eye.”

In fact, he sees it as a way to move forward to a future helping others.

“Right now, I just want to go to college, play football,” Brown said. “I want to make a name for myself. I want to help kids who are going through what I went through. They might start off a little rough, but if you keep the faith, you can actually become more than what you’re expected to become. I want to be an inspiration (that) no matter what you do, you can overcome it.”