Devon Carter shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Devon, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Something outside of work that is bringing me joy lately is playing basketball with my colleagues.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Dr. Devon Carter, is originally from Cleveland, Ohio and attended John Hay (Architecture and Design) High School. During his high school years, Devon played basketball for LeBron James’s King James Shooting Stars and as a top 50 shooting guard in the country ranked by ESPN, he, then, received a basketball scholarship to attend 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 under the mentorship of Dr. Gordon Moskowitz. After earning his PhD in Special Education (‘22) from Lehigh under his advisor Dr. Lee Kern, he became an Assistant Professor and Intervention Specialist at the University of Akron in the LeBron James Family Foundation School of Education. During his transition from Lehigh to Akron, he was also featured in the movie, Hustle, which is currently on Netflix. This has led to supporting roles in other movies and TV shows including Stranger Things and Mayor of Kingston as Dr. Carter wants to show inner-city students that embracing education can provide a plethora of opportunities. Since then, Dr. Carter, along with the LeBron James Family Foundation, developed an intervention, Recognize Education And Learning (REAL), which is mentorship program that uses social psychological philosophies to help students embrace education and ultimately improve behavior referrals, attendance and graduation rates in public middle and high schools across the country. Dr. Carter’s motivation behind REAL comes from his passion to contribute a positive and unique perspective of education that inner-city students can apply internally to understand why education and learning are so important. Dr. Carter is excited to bring this initiative to Ohio State to collaborate with the esteemed faculty as well as provide research and service opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in helping middle and high schools students embrace education and learning.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
My earliest memory of feeling powerful was when I started applying myself in the classroom. Specifically, I began to embrace studying and reading books. It allowed me to stay in college and it has motivated me to help empower the students regarding the importance of applying yourself. It also helped me understand that I can control what I can control and the external will take care of itself.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
If I could tell my younger self one thing, I would tell him that he is enough. I’d keep it REAL with him about the importance of believing in yourself and acting on that belief. I’d give him a big hug and tell him that everything will be okay!
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
The whole idea behind REAL is to be true to who you are. I try to embody that mindset everyday through my actions. Two of our REAL Values are honesty and loyalty. These two core values are extremely important regarding the work we do. When we meet with schools, students, parents, etc. we bring an authentic approach to improving attendance, behaviors and graduation rates and we believe our team does a great job of displaying who we really are.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
After honesty and loyalty, our next REAL value is Effort. When we talk to students about this value, we explain what effort truly means. You know you’ve given your all when there’s nothing left to give. When you have no regrets. We then talk to students about effort when no one is watching, which is also called integrity. When you have good integrity, you have a better sense of fulfillment on life. When you act the right way and put forth maximum effort, especially when no one is watching, then you are more likely to feel at peace with who you are.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://realest2020.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/recognizeeducationandlearning?igsh=YW02dnNnbzdtcXFq&utm_source=qr
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/GXD0ojxgpes
