Alumni stories of leadership and service inspire hundreds of Peer Leaders as they work to guide their peers toward success.
Jerron’s story not only inspires us but fuels us. As a member of our Leadership Council, he’s committed to serving a new generation of Peer Leaders.
Jerron Hawkins completed his PeerForward workshop at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) in 2014 – 10 years ago. That summer, Jerron worked hard and stepped up to guide his peers through high school and into college.
The same year, he was accepted into the My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Alliance started by then President Barack Obama. With the leadership experience and guidance that he received through PeerForward and MBK, he was fully equipped for his visit to the White House. Once there, he had the invaluable opportunity to spend time with the President. Together, they played some basketball and talked about the changes Jerron wanted to make in the world as a young man of color. Shortly thereafter, he began his collegiate journey full of ideas and motivation.
Jerron earned his undergraduate degree from Howard University and his J.D. from Howard Law. He spent his time in college interning with the White House, Congressional Black Caucus, and the ACLU. Driven by the conviction to always ensure that the college students around him had their needs met he started the Reach Foundation, which provides various types of funding so students of color can continue along their path of higher education.
Believing in oneself pays off.
Inspired by his mother’s lesson to be people of purpose, serving and empowering their communities, Jerron returns to one key thought and feeling: it is his calling in life to help others. “At this point in my life…where I’ve had the privilege of graduating from undergrad law school, serving this appointment at the Justice Department, and all the other little things I’ve gotten in between, I want other young people to see that,” he said. It hurts my heart a little bit when I share with young people… the areas I grew up in DC and they say, what? And you could [achieve] all this? I want to let them know they can [do it too], because I was once in their shoes.”
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When his younger brother became a Peer Leader, his passion for the program reignited, “When [my brother] became a Peer Leader, I saw how he was able to impact people,” he shared. “I was like, that’s the same program I did!” Jerron returned to PeerForward for as a member of our Leadership Council and remains involved in our important work to this day.
“One of my favorite things to tell young people is that, believe it or not, I can learn much more from you than you can from me. I can tell you the path to go and all that, but the way you see the world is the way I don’t see the world anymore,” he shared.
His dedication to serving the next generation of leaders is not only obvious, but admirable as well. You can give the gift of leadership to hundreds of Peer Leaders when you give to PeerForward.
