Jarrell Brown is an achiever, and even after meeting him you might not know just how difficult it was for him to get good grades, play sports and win college scholarships.
Brought up in a tough neighborhood, Jarrell worked hard in school, was elected president of his senior class at Dallas’ South Oak Cliff High School and earned a full ride to Howard University in Washington, D.C., where he’s just started his freshman year.
He never knew his father growing up, so Jarrell has embraced being a role model for his little brother. As he tells KERA’s Krys Boyd, “I can tell he looks up to me because sometimes I catch him doing things that I do.”
On Students Speak Out: A KERA American Graduate Special, we’ll hear from Jarrell and five other students who know what it takes to finish school. The program airs on KERA TV Wednesday, Aug. 28, at 7 p.m.