It’s common for people to ask for pictures at PeerForward Workshops. Our University of South Carolina Workshop was no exception. As the banquet ended and the dance began, some Peer Leaders approached, asking for a group picture. As the Marketing Coordinator, I happily obliged and led them to a grand staircase at the entrance of the venue.
As I raised my camera the group asked me to wait. That’s when I saw Marcus Prince, a beloved PeerForward Alumni, approaching. Marcus is an alumni of Friendship Technology Preparatory High School in DC who is currently a student at Prince George’s Community College. He used his summer break to serve at several of our Summer Workshops. The Peer Leaders excitedly waved him over, several of them shouting “Brother 0!” He joined them on the stairs, and they all began to hold up a 0 symbol with their hands. I quickly began snapping pictures and wondered, “What is this sign?” That’s when I heard a girl’s voice in the distance. “You’re taking pictures? Wait for us!” Suddenly, a large group of girls came rushing over. The boys moved out of the way, but Marcus remained. To my surprise, all the girls held up the same sign. Then, Marcus called out “now everyone together!” All the Peer Leaders crowded together on the stairs, again
holding up a 0. After snapping a few pictures someone in the crowd shouted, “everyone hold up your number!” The Peer Leaders all held up different numbers, some even had them written on the back of their hands. By this point, my confusion had turned into a burning curiosity. I was able to piece together the fact that they had created a big family, calling each other brothers and sisters, but how did this begin and what was the significance of the numbers?
Later, I approached Marcus to ask about the origins of Brother 0. He said, “It all really started when I was talking to the students while they waited for their room keys. I had called two of them brother 1 & brother 2, from there it had grown as I got to know some of the guys there. As I got to know the girls in my writing group, the Brother 0 family began to grow into what it is now.” He went on to explain that even students outside of this writing group began to approach him, asking if they could be a brother/sister too. At that moment, it became clear just how impactful Marcus’s presence was to our Peer Leaders. I asked if he could provide insight into how it made him feel to have touched the hearts of so many students. “Honestly, it means the world to me.” he said. “It’s not easy to connect with new people but to see them really get to know each other is everything. It motivates me to push myself to become someone they can trust & look up to.”
The story of the Brother 0 family serves as an important reminder of the positive impact mentorship can have. Marcus himself had a mentor back when he was still a Peer Leader, PeerForward’s current Associate Director of Postsecondary Success, Tim Spicer. Being able to rely on Tim had a profound impact on Marcus. Now, Marcus is giving back the energy he received by supporting the next generation of Peer Leaders. We at PeerForward hope to continue to connect students with role models they can look up to and depend on, like Marcus Prince.
