#MyBrothersKeeper: A Brighter Future

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Hamil R. Harris: White House Mentee Heads To Morehouse College

Noah McQueen used to spend more time fighting and getting arrested than getting good grades and listening to advice. He changed households and public schools 10 times before he landed at the Maryland Juvenile Justice Cheltenham Youth Center. But times have changed. “Do you need a ride back to the White House?” a presidential aide asked McQueen, 19, as he stood inside Eddie’s Hair Design in Adams Morgan on a recent day. “No, I have my own car now,” he responded. McQueen didn’t need a barber; he had a fresh haircut. He was there to work. McQueen was there with Broderick Johnson, head of the White House’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative, to be a role model to students from Marie Reed Elementary School.

The initiative was launched last year to improve educational and job opportunities for young men of color. White House officials, including President Obama, have worked hard to help McQueen. His life changed three years ago, when, as a student at Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School in Upper Marlboro, he began mentoring children at nearby Barack Obama Elementary. “I get choked up . . . when I think about where I was,” McQueen said as he reflected on a troubled childhood that included several suspensions, arrests and other run-ins with the law. Now McQueen is a freshman at Morehouse College in Atlanta. He graduated in May from Wise, where he finished with a 3.25 grade-point average even though his freshman and sophomore years were academic disasters.

More here

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Congratulations and good luck, Noah!

White House mentee heads to Morehouse College wapo.st/1J523ZH

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Noah McQueen (@Noah_McQueen) August 20, 2015

#MyBrothersKeeper in action: Check out White House mentee Noah McQueen's inspiring story → wpo.st/YYzV0 http://t.co/JnG6E04yXo

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The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 20, 2015

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Very proud of Noah & all our mentees going to college! "White House mentee heads to Morehouse" #MyBrothersKeeper wpo.st/A9zV0

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Broderick Johnson (@Broderick44) August 20, 2015

This is a great story to start your day with: White House mentee heads to Morehouse College via @washingtonpost wpo.st/4AzV0

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Jennifer Friedman (@JFriedman44) August 20, 2015

And The Winner Is…..

This is how you respond when you win the Oscar for Best Picture. Congratulations, Steve McQueen!

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