deon-r

Deon R., NP ’06

If there’s one word that captures Deon’s spirit, it’s “perseverance.” Currently a sophomore in the Class of 2014 at Yale University, Deon continues to set his sights higher and higher. After a successful first year playing for the Yale football team, Deon expects to earn a starting position on this year’s team. Deon is currently discerning a major at Yale, either economics or accounting, he says, with hopes of starting his own business after he graduates. Deon entered Nativity as a fifth grader in 2003, and after an interim seventh-grade year living in Oakland with his older brother–a choice he made with his family after his father passed away–Deon returned to Nativity in 2005 and graduated with our second class in 2006. After Nativity, Deon went to have a brilliant career as a student and as a four-year varsity letterman in basketball and football at Francis Parker School (San Diego), earning a graduating GPA of 3.7 and All-America accolades as a football player. “Nativity’s a big part of my life,” he says. “The teachers at Nativity have given me so much, and I plan on giving back to the students there after college.” Deon has already begun giving back as a frequent visitor to our campus, generously giving his time to chat with our middle school students about high school and college choices.