Here’s the story of how Natomas Unified student Jonathan De La O got a handshake and a hug from a former president of the United States. His path leads directly from Discovery High to Barack Obama.
Jonathan enrolled in Discovery High this year with deficient credits and lousy grades, but with determination to turn his life around. He came to Natomas about four years ago, unable to speak English, fleeing violent and horrific memories from a Mexican community. Initially, he struggled in NUSD, but this year he’s gotten honor roll grades, made up lost credits, and joined two groups dedicated to helping young men of color reach their potential.
One of those groups is My Brother’s Keeper, an effort launched by Obama in 2014, while he was president. The Obama Foundation remains tied to MBK. So Obama was the headliner at an MBK-led conference in Oakland about a week ago. And De La O was there to learn what he could about bettering himself and serving his community. The two crossed paths at a workshop and – voila – what happened next was a Kodak moment.
Here’s the punchline: With only enough time to say one thing to Obama, very quickly, Jonathan gave a shout-out to NUSD: “You should come visit Natomas and Discovery High if you get a chance,” he said. … (Can you hear our standing ovation? Bravo! Bravo!)
