ABOUT ME

I was a quiet kid and the teachers told my mother that I was slow, but it turns out I was gifted. School was easy for me, but there were challenges being one of the few black kids in class and multiple experiences of subtle racism from my teachers. 

Nobody really encouraged me to go to college or pursue my dreams. I was going to sign up with the navy but when the recruiter told me I'd never be able to call home and speak to my mom, I decided maybe I should just try college. It was the best decision of my life.

I was the guy in college who everyone asked for help with their math work. I loved helping people, and it made me realize that I wanted to be a teacher. My dad disapproved, so I majored in accounting and then engineering, but all I could think about was starting a school. A school that I would have wanted to go to as a child.

At 25, I had my first child, so I had to find work to support her, but my heart was always in education. At the time, I volunteered at the Childs Park Recreation Center in St. Pete tutoring kids after school, and all the kids who participated passed the FCAT. It felt great to help kids do their best.

Finally, I returned to college to become a teacher and I knew I was home. I was the only black man in the entire education department and there were still challenges I had to face because of the color of my skin. I felt discouraged so I went on to grad school and studied Educational Policy.

A stint in Boston at Jobs for the Future doing professional development and instruction at an early college high school, and at other early college high schools around the country got me excited about the potential for starting my own early high school in Pinellas county.

When I returned to St. Pete, I taught at Bayside High School and then moved on to St. Petersburg College, teaching math and dual enrollment, and then eventually Tarpon Springs High School. I started working with mentees. A foster kid who thought all he could do was go to the military believed in the process and he is on track to graduate from Florida State University with little to no debt. Another young lady and her mother believed, and that the young woman is on track to graduate from the University of Florida with no debt. Finally, my latest mentee believed, and she earned her Associate's degree at the age of 16 and is on track to graduate with her Bachelor's degree in business at the age of 18, with no debt.  


I now have four kids, my first daughter has graduated from Florida State University, and the other kids are all in gifted programs. My greatest joys are participating in my children's lives and spending time with my beautiful wife. Life is great.

Now is finally the time to bring my vision of an early college high school to Pinellas County. I want to be the person who believes in and fights for your kids and encourages them to go after their dreams.

Buddy​