Today we’d like to introduce you to Devon Carter
Hi Devon, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Here is a brief bio that summarizes my story:
REAL, which stands for Recognize Education And Learning, is a service meant to
influence and acknowledge the importance of education. REAL intends to increase the appeal of
education with a unique approach and style of delivery. We serve schools and students of all
ages, along with sport teams with the approach of applying positive athletic concepts to the
classroom. REAL hosts workshops and events catered to educational success with the purpose of
creating positive awareness about education as well. We intend to build a culture that embraces
educational prosperity. Check out our website at REALest2020.com and on Twitter and
Instagram for more information including Blog Posts, REAL Recognize REAL Students of the
Month and more! Our newest book, Let’s Keep It REAL, is also available on Amazon!
Dr. Devon Carter, is originally from Cleveland, Ohio and attended John Hay (Architecture and Design) High School. As a top 50 shooting guard in the country ranked by ESPN, he, then, received a basketball scholarship at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. As a two time captain of the basketball team, he ultimately earned both a Bachelors of Arts (‘16) and, continuing his education while on the team, a Masters of Science (‘18) in Social Psychology. After earning his PhD in Special Education (‘22) from Lehigh, he earned a position as Professor and Intervention Specialist at the University of Akron.
“We want to begin by thanking you, whether you are a student, parent, teacher, staff
member or anyone who is a part of the village it takes to produce future leaders. We appreciate
you and want you to know that your hard work and relentless dedication is something that we do
not take for granted. With that being said, we want to share a vision of mine that is, like yours,
motivated in guiding our future. My family and I started this movement because we initially just
wanted to figure out a way to help. We wanted to help students create a new, positive perspective
and culture around the idea of education. We believe with a positive perspective of education and
what it can provide, students will benefit from understanding why they need to educate
themselves. We also want to help teachers, staff, etc. by creating a positive culture around
education from the students’ perspective, which establishes a cohesive environment among your
students. This serves to benefit students, teachers, staff members and the entire culture of
inspired positivity regarding education.”
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As the highest ranked basketball player to attend Lehigh University at the time, basketball was my main focus. I was not prepared for the academic rigor of Lehigh. During my freshman year, I tore my ACL and began to give up on my academics. That summer, I received a phone call from our head coach, who was prepared to get rid of my scholarship. At that time, my uncle, cousin, brother had experienced jail or prison in some capacity. I knew if I had ended up back in Cleveland without a degree, I may end up in the same situation so I begged our coach to give me a second chance. He gave me a semester to figure it out and I was able to embrace academics; to the point that I was named captain of our basketball team due to the change everyone had seen in me and my priorities. Fast forward, after basketball, I continued my education at Lehigh and the rest is history.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
REAL is meant to inspire students to embrace education. We use music to gain the interest of the students, who ultimately need to believe education is “cool” in order to embrace it. The most recent project, REAL Talk, is available on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and most other major streaming platforms.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
I recommend to be patient and understand that there will be stages of growth, setbacks and come ups. It is important to enjoy the journey and realize that sometimes the best is yet to come.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://REALest2020.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/recognizeeducationandlearning/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXD0ojxgpes
