The Compelling Why received a note in our LinkedIn comments from Beck Technology, selecting us as the recipient of Beck Technology’s charitable donations through its Beck Tech Cares initiative. We were surprised that the recommendation came from Hermon Afework, a former Richardson Independent School District student who attended our Success Sessions in 2014 and 2015.
In a phone conversation with Hermon, as we tried to understand what motivated this generous selection, for which we are sincerely thankful, we learned that his teacher from Richardson High School recommended him to attend The Compelling Why program because he believed that Hermon had great potential that he was not living up to. Hermon shared how our seminar “changed his life!”
The business leaders featured during our seminars during that period – Patrick Briggs, AVID Center; Carl Dorvil, entrepreneur; Derrick Evers, CEO, Kaizen Development Partners; Arthur George, retired Texas Instruments executive; Dale Long, retired, City of Dallas; Fred Perpall, CEO, The Beck Group, and Byron Sanders, President and CEO, Big Thought – shared their experiences and insights, inspiring Hermon to seek something better and maximize his potential. As a result, Hermon began to buckle down in class with a greater expectation of himself and the resolve to pursue his dreams because he saw the proof in front of him through these men.
 March 4, 2014, Compelling Why Success Session – L to R: Fred Perpall, Dale Long and Derrick Evers |
 January 27, 2015, Compelling Why Success Session – L to R: Patrick Briggs, Carl Dorvil and Byron Sanders |
Hermon started to manage his friend group better because, as we say at The Compelling Why, “You are who your role with!” He took advantage of our college prep partner at the time, Gillian Stubblefield. Check out her new book A Parent’s Guide: Secrets to Saving Big on College https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Saving-Big-College-Parents/dp/B0CTGGCDCC – who helped him with his test-taking strategies and college application. Hermon had not thought seriously about college before then. However, when it was time to decide, he selected The University of Texas at Dallas because that is where we hosted the seminar. It was his first time visiting a college campus, a decision that was influenced by his positive experience with our program.
Young people like Hermon are why we do what we do! We know the unmatched satisfaction teachers, coaches, and caring adults feel who invest their time and energy into educating and uplifting young people after hearing from students like Hermon years later.
We extend our sincere gratitude to the extended Compelling Why family of supporters, school campus leaders, community partners, and contributors. Your unwavering support is the backbone of our work, allowing us to continue our mission of inspiring young people like Hermon to create their best reality. With your continued help, we can make a lasting difference in their lives.
To learn more about us, visit www.thecompellingwhy.org. To help us continue our work, please consider donating at https://thecompellingwhy.org/donations/the-compelling-why.
