Troy Brandon, Jr.
 | “Students need to build self-esteem in order to have determination. You can tell a student to read three hours a night or practice math but if they don’t believe they can, then they won’t have the drive to keep going. I believe there needs to be a mentorship that works hand and hand with academic support. This is one of the main reasons I joined City Year.”Troy Brandon, Jr., Senior Corps Member
City Year Washington, DC |
Troy Brandon, Jr. is a senior corps member who leads The Serve DC Team at Johnson Middle School. Troy is 22 years old from Springfield, Massachusetts, a beautiful city filled with a rich history in basketball, textile mills, and was once home to the famous author Dr. Seuss. However, it also has a background in failing public schools, crime ridden neighborhoods, and high rates of youth pregnancy among other complex issues. He joined City Year because he wants to make a positive impact on students and be a role model for other young people interested in changing the world.
Last Year Troy served as a corps member on The Kimball Elementary School Team where he worked directly with students who displayed off-track indicators, the ABCs – poor Attendance, disruptive Behavior, and Course failure in math or English. Troy, like all City Year corps members, provided targeted interventions to students who are off-track in the ABC’s. Corps members focus on the ABC’s because there’s less than a 25% chance a student will graduate from high school, if they’re off-track in just one of the ABC’s by the time they reach 6th grade.
Now Troy leads and supports his team at Johnson Middle School as they address the ABC’s by providing in-class support and tutoring in literacy and math. In addition, his team runs afterschool programs and implements positive school climate initiatives. This year, Troy and the 160 City Year Washington, DC corps members will serve more than 4,500 students at 14 DC Public Schools.
Troy’s Message to All Future City Year Corps Members:
Build relationships with the students you work with. Learning is a two way street and you have to open yourself up to want to learn as much as you want to teach. The hardest part about service is accepting “your best,” as you get to know the student and wanting to help every student you have to remember The Starfish Story and focus on making a difference one student at a time.