Spotlight On...
Damien Turner
Summer Intern
Damien Turner says Rochester is a long way from the south side of Chicago, and he should know. Even though it’s just a few hours drive from here, Chicago’s south side where Damien grew up was “outrageous—always about fighting, territories—just bad” in both his school and his neighborhood. So Damien’s mother moved him and his three brothers to Rochester during the winter of 2006, joining other family members who already lived here.
They thought John Marshall High School would be a good fit for Damien and his older brother, and Damien says his family made the right choice. At first he didn’t want to move here, but now he’s really glad they came. “I probably wouldn’t have made it to age 18 in south Chicago because I lived in a very violent area” says Damien.
So what was the hardest thing for him to adjust to in Minnesota? Believe it or not—the cold winter weather! It turns out that winters are much colder here than in the Windy City. But that’s a small price to pay for everything Damien has gained by living in Rochester.
A recent graduate of John Marshall High School, Damien worked as an intern at the Diversity Council from July through September as part of Workforce Development’s youth employment initiative. He is also taking classes at RCTC, where he is interested in studying computer design or programming, but he had some help along the way to get him to where he is now.
Dave Pugh, a math teacher at JM, was Damien’s favorite teacher. Mr. Pugh made a point of being especially helpful to underachieving students who might not be on track to graduate. He worked with Damien during his junior year to get his math grade up—he was failing algebra—and continued to teach math to Damien for another year.
According to Damien, “in Mr. Pugh’s class, expectations were clear that we would work together and that we all have an equal right to learn. So he made his classroom feel like a family—like we all cared for one another.” Damien adds: “I did get close to him. If it wasn’t for Mr. Pugh, I wouldn’t have graduated. He influenced a lot of students.”
Another person who has helped Damien succeed is Zelda Collins-Moore, Minority Programs Coordinator for Rochester Public Schools. Ms. Moore encouraged Damien to attend a month-long summer College Access Program at Minnesota State University-Mankato. “It was quite a diverse program,” designed to show what college life is like, says Damien.
His high school experience was also a diverse one. Damien thinks kids of color were treated evenly at JM. “Even though almost everyone self-segregates and there were occasional fights between groups—mainly gang related—still, mostly everyone got along.” And in high praise of our local public school system, Damien concludes: “I would like to go back to JM and build up even better relationships with my teachers.”
Damien Turner is indeed a living example of the RPS commitment to the
idea that ALL children can learn—and have a right to do so. And
here at the Diversity Council we are grateful that Damien is using that
opportunity to his full advantage—and ours!