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Washington, D.C. Beat the Odds® Awards Luncheon 2008
May 19, 2008 - May 19, 2008CDF honored five Washington, D.C., area upcoming high school seniors who have overcome tremendous adversity to demonstrate academic excellence and give back to their communities during the 2008 Beat the Odds Awards Luncheon. Actress and comedienne Ali Wentworth and ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos hosted the event. More Information
Keagoé Stith
Keagoé grew up in a community that programmed him to believe college was an unattainable dream and high school graduation almost as impossible. There were no community models besides those of violence and arrest. Instead of allowing these community norms and an inadequate educational system to defeat him, Keagoé spends hours daily commuting to a better school across town and participates in after-school programs to further his education.
In addition to his rigorous academic schedule, Keagoé, alongside his twin brother, played an integral role in the "Know Your Rights" campaign to educate youth and adults in his community about their rights as citizens. Keagoé’s artistic abilities enabled him to create a magazine for the campaign. He has become an active member in his neighborhood community coalitions and meetings. Keagoé has fully embraced art, which has allowed him to communicate hope instead of the negativity of his surroundings, and he has taught an art class at a community-based summer camp for children. Keagoé hopes to use his education, artwork, and youth leadership training to educate and empower those in his community, emphasizing the value of school and hard work. He wants to show them that their surroundings do not have to dictate who they are or who they can become.
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