It is sad that there are kids who are discouraged from reaching for their dreams by the people who should be the ones to lift them up and support their aspirations. Thankfully, many of these kids don’t let the discouragement stop them from striving hard and eventually reaching their goals in life.
One of these is Davion Reeder who recently went viral after he posted a photo of himself in a toga on the day he graduated from Eastern Michigan University.
“My step dad told me it was pointless to go to orientation, I wasn’t going to graduate…4 years later he [is] in jail & I’m well,” a grinning Reeder tweeted.
What makes this ‘victory’ sweeter is that while his stepdad languishes in jail for undisclosed reasons, Reeder graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice and a minor in Military Science.
My step dad told me it was pointless to go to orientation, I wasn’t going to graduate…..4 years later he in jail & I’m well…. ???????????? pic.twitter.com/bLftj8BXni
— KING KIDD ???? (@_justcallmekidd) April 20, 2017
“He told me it was pointless to go to orientation, I wasn’t going to graduate. It was kind of ironic, like I was saying, because in two situations, we are both black male statistics and he’s on the bad statistic on the negative and I’m on the positive, I’m a black male who just graduated college,” Reeder told reporters.
He also admitted that college wasn’t easy – and he did have his fair share of challenges, especially because he’s the eldest child of a single mom with four kids but his mother had always kept him on track. Also, his stepdad’s words remained a motivator for him to continue with his studies.
Reeder is a bit surprised by the attention his post received but feels happy that he has become an inspiration to many. As for his stepdad, we have no idea what the old man feels after learning the boy he called a loser had actually graduated from college.
What is Criminal Justice?
Wikipedia defines criminal justice as “the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts.”
Each country has its own system of criminal justice; although smaller countries often pattern theirs to that used by the first world nations.