Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Jenkins.
Hi Brandon, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Born and raised in Houston Texas I always knew that I wanted to change the world, as cliche as that sounds I knew that was what I wanted in life, and to achieve that was to be able to mentor and impact youth not only academically but socially as well. Growing up in East Houston, I quickly realized at a young age that I didn’t share the same interest as many of the other boys in the area. I was not athletically inclined and had no desire to join sports, I began to realize that I was a dreamer, a creative, and extremely determined to tear down social structures. As I began to grow into my passion, I recognized that my skills as a creative easily translated into the classroom, once I entered college and started preparing myself for the education sector, I began to understand that my duties as an educator were just bigger than mine.
Growing into my aspirations and being presented with many amazing opportunities, I became closer to reaching a higher elevation of myself but with great moments also come great obstacles. Many challenging times seemed like there was not a light at the end of the tunnel but growing up with a resilient mother has attributed to my ambition and drive to achieve greatness. Watching my single mother work hard to ensure that I had the necessary tools to take on life made me into the person I am today, every time I reach a new milestone I hear her voice “I want you to be successful, I want you to be the best version of yourself”. With the help of my mother, I have been able to work with Houston leaders, make educational reforms, and assist with university education reviews and many other accolades.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have been many obstacles along the way, but one moment that defined me was on December 17, 2021. The day I lost everything to an apartment fire, was a very defining moment for me because it showed me that not everything is set in stone. Although this was a very hard moment for me and my family there were great things that came from it. I was able to step into a new part of myself and the experience showed me the true people around me. Another obstacle at an early age was being mislabeled with a learning disability. This is a sad but true reality for many black and brown boys, often having teachers who do not understand or have never been exposed to different cultures and don’t know how to be culturally inclusive. When they fail to understand or even educate themselves on those practices, the easiest thing they believe to do is label those students as “academically disabled”. This is a large part of why I choose to fight for marginalized communities.
I am a current college student working on my degree in Early Childhood Education with a supplemental in ESL, I also am a Homegrown student working not only in the school district that I graduated from but also for the Elementary school that I attended as a child. I am most proud of being about to plan and create three successful Male Summits where I worked with influential men such as HardBody Kiottie, Mayor-elect Chris Hollins, KHOU Anchor Xavier Walton, and Rilwan Balogun, HPD, HFD, and many other local leaders. I am also proud of being able to represent Texas during the Building a Movement Educator conference where I assisted with writing educational reforms. I think what sets me apart from others is my ability to empower others whether it be children or young adults. I was also an ABC13 School Spotlight Recipient.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why.
What matters most to me is living a fully authentic life where I am proud of who and what is around me! I want to be able to build a community where everyone feels safe and accepted in the life that they want to live.
