Conversations with Brandon R. Scarborough

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon R. Scarborough

Hi Brandon R., so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I began working in education in 2005 teaching 6th grade at Emmanuel Christian Academy. While my classroom teaching skills were not the greatest, that experience led me to obtain my Masters Degree in Education in 2007 and to continue working in other areas of teaching and education ranging from elementary school to being a college professor for a few years. At some point the dream began to formulate that one day I would open a school for young black boys in my hometown. I had no idea what that journey would look like and in my own planning, I enrolled in school again in 2013 to obtain my doctoral degree in education. The name Dreams Academy came to me while in school and I had the logo designed and I knew that would be the name of the school. While leading a non-profit based out of Columbus during these years, it was in the Spring of 2016, I felt the urge to get to work and start a summer program for black boys that would be called Dreams Academy. We began announcing our plans in March of 2016 and had 12 young men enroll in our summer program and come out every week to learn how to be young men. This meant exposure and lessons in: careers, communication, emotions, encountering police, etiquette, finance, hygiene, and so much more. That summer was amazing. In following my Dreams and being obedient to God’s direction, I was fired from my job in August of that year, right before the beginning of the school year. I had only planned on Dreams Academy being a summer program, but now I had the time to really get to work and build something and so we picked up right where we left off and began planning for a fall session. That began our pattern of holding sessions in Spring, Summer, and Fall with our young men. Fast forward, to 2018, we opened the Dreams Academy Music and Media Center where we gave private music lessons and is now a podcast and music studio. In 2021, Queens Academy was born and we began mentoring young ladies using the same format that we do with our young men. In 2024, The Village of Dreams Academy which is a community of single mothers raising black boys under 18. Looking forward to August of 2025, Dreams Academy will open a private school for black boys starting with Kindergarten and 1st Grade. At this time we are grateful to have served over 1000 students in the Akron, Cleveland, and Canton area.
Along with our school, I am working diligently to open the Hope House Behavioral Health Center. The name is in honor of my Father’s work. He owned and operated a drug rehabilitation facility in Alliance, Ohio of the same name. I want to now carry on his legacy and carry on that same work in the area of offering mental health services to children and families.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
While the journey has been so rewarding, some of the struggles has included being unsure at times if our organization could/would survive. Like the rest of the world, we also had to maneuver through the pandemic. We have to raise funds to keep ourselves afloat which is an ongoing challenge, and now we have embraced the challenge of opening this school and that calls for an increase in fundraising efforts to make our Dream a reality.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I have had the luxury of being able to operate in a number of areas which makes my life exciting. I have been a musician most of my life with a focus on piano and organ. That avenue allowed me to introduce Dreams Academy to a large faith community/network which I contribute that avenue to alot of Dreams Academy’s success. Being a musician in the community allowed me to have a name for myself and so in starting Dreams Academy, we had a great foundation of notoriety which has only grown from there. Being an educator allowed me to pour that knowledge into realizing what our students need and being creative at how we can be most helpful to them. I am also the author of 2 books, “Talking Points” and Grit, Game, and Giving Back-A toolkit for aspiring nonprofit leaders”. I host a podcast titled “Dear White Teacher” that discusses the nuances of white teachers who have black students in their classrooms.

I am most proud of the team that has developed over time and how they have grown, how they believe in the vision, and how they implement the vision. It allowed me to not only impact children and families, but to also impact and give an opportunity to individuals that are invested in the youth of our community and work diligently to make sure that happens. They are active and creative in what we do at Dreams Academy, Queens Academy, and The Village and I believe that is what sets us apart from others.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson I have learned is to never take for granted the people that help you do what you do. Never take for granted the mothers, fathers, guardians, that trust you with their most prized possession, their child(ren). Never take for granted the community that supports you, however they support you, whether thats a kind word, a donation, a referral, whatever that looks like. All of these things work together to create impact and success. I am intentional as I can be about saying thank you as often as I can to anyone that does anything for Dreams Academy and any other of my professional endeavors.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dreamsacademy.life and www.dreamsacademy.school
• Instagram: @wedreamusa
• Facebook: @wedreamusa
• Youtube: @dreamstv1108
• Other: https://youtu.be/ZYT9Mv9rsv4?si=vue_48GtoZLGVXBh