PHOENIX PACT
End of 2023 Update
“We can’t always see the stars. Luckily, our students keep us star gazing. They are our saving grace. The constellation of our alumni, students, their families, and our faculty and staff helps us gaze true north.”
–John Horan, NLCP President Emeritus
Dashayla Taylor | Dashayla is having an awesome first semester at Fisk University on track to be on the honor roll. She has been a model first semester student and we hope this year’s NLCP seniors will emulate her keys to success: 1) At NLCP she chose the best fit college for her. 2) She developed her sense of belonging immediately in Fisk summer programming and getting involved on campus building strong connections with staff and peers on campus.
Most importantly, Dashayla has a north star she has focused on for her motivation for college. “I need to be the first in my family to earn a degree. I will show the way for my younger siblings. I need my Fisk degree in order to be a Psychologist specializing in work with children to help future generations be healthy and happy and achieve their dreams.”
First Year Pact Scholars at Jackson State University | Along with Dashayla Taylor, all the other Phoenix Pact Scholars Class of 2023 are completing their first semester and the initial returns are positive. Pictured here is the Phoenix Pact Jackson State University Class of 2027, from left to right: Marquise James, Eukyirah Williams, Martianna Smith, Jania Harris-Gatlin, Doneka Reed, Ashani Reed, and Carlos Grays.
All seven just returned from Jackson after completing their final exams. Honor roll predictions by some with all eagerly working with Phoenix Pact staff over break to make plans for next summer and beyond on to graduation.
Tacora Roach | A 2024 graduating senior at Michigan State University with a double Major in Education and Spanish, Tacora is also an internationally recognized Level II Advanced Nonviolence Leadership Trainer certified through the University of Rhode Island.
Tacora has trained hundreds of young people, teachers and counselors across the midwest literally saving lives through violence prevention. Her next step is to build on the Peace Warriors model at NLCP and launch a similar program at a high school in her college town of East Lansing, Michigan.
Darjonae Nellem | Another model student who has done everything the right way from the start of college and now on to graduation. Darjonae has always stayed motivated by her “why” for college – to be a lawyer who fights for justice. She will graduate this spring with honors and also after completing multiple internships and a study abroad to Finland, Estonia, & Latvia.
“I am so glad that I got the chance to experience leaving the country to learn about different legal systems. At one point the United States and Finland had the same crime rates. But Finland took a different, restorative approach and their crime rates have decreased dramatically. In the US we have to break the cycle of incarceration. I can’t wait until I am able to be a part of that change.”
Stanley Taylor | Since being mentioned in the imPACT report in 2020, Stanley has many accomplishments. He completed a year of service in the North Lawndale Service Corps, interned at Lawndale Christian Health Center (LCHC) and was hired there and is now the Marketing Communications Coordinator.
“Working at LCHC allows me to make a positive impact on the community that helped raise me. I'm genuinely happy to serve the people here,” Stanley says. “My commitment is not only to continue serving my community, extending healthcare services, and contributing to essential community resources but also to grow in my role, taking on new challenges and expanding my impact in the days ahead.”
Jordan Caples | After graduating in 2022 from Grand Valley State University, receiving bachelors degrees in both Criminal Justice, Spanish, Jordan is now working as a Youth Specialist for the Ottawa County Juvenile Detention Center in West Olive, Michigan.
“Throughout my college career the most impactful moments came with the support of the Phoenix Pact. Any time I had personal hardships that would distract me from my education (financial issues, deaths in the family, personal trauma), Pact was always there to offer encouragement and support in a times where life was already hard enough from school on its own,” Jordan says. “Now, as a Youth Specialist I help at-risk youth turn their lives around through the development of emotional and connection skills.”
Michael Tucker | Michael has been busy since he graduated in 2020. He has earned his MBA at McKendree University and is the Director of the Ubuntu Center for Peace in East St. Louis.
“We train people in the principles of Kingian Nonviolence I learned at NLCP and we’re spreading across the nation. I support those we train in their ongoing work and connect nonviolence activism to work on other issues such as voting rights, environmental justice, economic justice, racism, education equity, gun violence and much more.”
Kyra Walker | Kyra is a prime example of perseverance leading to success. She started at Marquette during the COVID pandemic and successfully managed all the health, community, and academic challenges manifested in those years. She will graduate from the Honors Program at Marquette, has interned at Streetwise in Chicago, and is building a writing portfolio that will continue to grow in her professional career.
Kyra reflects: “Everyone’s road to success looks different. Don’t be scared if you must take the journey without your friends. The Phoenix Pact will make sure you are never alone.”
Arieyanna Williams | Arieyanna has a Michigan State University Education degree and she’s putting it to work at NLCP leading current seniors through their Senior Projects. Ms. Williams is joined by 10 other Phoenix Pact scholars who are working at NLCP helping to prepare the next generation for their degrees and lives filled with accomplishments.
“I’m helping this year’s seniors in the creative but academically challenging Senior Project that helped me become a better writer and college student. I can relate and show students that graduating from NLCP opens many doors. They just have to walk through them. Maybe it takes you to new places and experiences you never could have imagined or experienced staying in Chicago. Or maybe that happens first and is followed by bringing you back to NLCP to become the very person that influenced you to go through the doors that will help you find who you are meant to be.”
Roosevelt Harris-Williams | Since the December 2020 update, Roosevelt earned his BA and also will have his MBA in May 2024 with multiple completed internships in New England. He will be choosing among many job offers for his next move.
We’re thrilled to share a few recent and noteworthy dispatches from our Phoenix Pact Scholars here, but please follow us on Instagram as we welcome new Scholars to the Phoenix Pact family and post updates from their successes!
