From South Carolina to San Francisco: How Darris Thomas is Making His Family & Friends Very Prou

Many young black men in South Carolina have a hard time of graduating from high school, let alone college or graduate school. But Darris Thomas has made it through that hard challenge, and is working hard to make his family very proud of him in the beautiful city of San Francisco, California.

The fourth of five brothers, his mother worked as a home health nurse for Carolina Health Force to support her children and his father (now deceased) worked as a self-employed diesel mechanic. His parents divorced when he was very young, and he lived with his mom. He describes his mother as "the strongest person in the world."

"She pushed me to get a good education in order to survive in South Carolina. She, and my brothers and family members, believed in my career goal of being an attorney and a judge, and made absolutely sure that I didn't stray from my career goal."

The product of the Dorchester County school system, he graduated from Woodland High School in Dorchester County, South Carolina on May 25, 2006 with his high school diploma. While in high school, he won second place in the Americans with Disabilities Essay contest and served as a member of the Future Business Leaders of America.

He started his college career at prestigious Voorhees College in Denmark, South Carolina in January 2007. While at Voorhees, he was on the Dean's List, received departmental honors, and received the award for the highest GPA as a Sophomore Member of the Student Support Services program. When the college refused to offer his major in political science, he left in May 2008.

After working a series of odd and end jobs, he applied and enrolled at prestigious Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina in August 2011. At Benedict College, his interest in the law was piqued when he completed a course in American Government under Professor Adrien Ratsimbaharison, who would later go on to become his academic advisor.

Under Professor Ratsimbaharison, Darris became a star student, earning A's in some of the most difficult courses in Political Science and International Relations. He became the first American student at Benedict to declare the concentration in International Relations. He was served on the Dean's List for three semesters ,and was inducted into the prestigious Pi Sigma Alpha National Political Science honor society during his senior year. He wrote his senior thesis on the relationship between corruption and development in present-day Africa.

In addition, Darris gained knowledge of information technology and management information systems. He completed a Minor in Applied Computing while at Benedict College. He completed courses under Professor Hong Jiang, such as Introduction to Multimedia Computing, Database Management, and Business Programming. He served as the Course Power ambassador for Benedict College during his senior year.

After graduating from Benedict College on May 9, 2015 with his Bachelor of Arts degree, he served as an AmeriCorps VISTA summer associate with the South Carolina Campus Compact in Rock Hill, South Carolina. He worked with the English Language Arts camp of Benedict College during the summer of 2015.

"Benedict College equipped me with the tools and resources to be able to make a difference not only in my life, but in the lives of other who have come before me and those who will come after me. Coming from my hometown of Dorchester County, South Carolina, I never in a million years dreamed that I would be walking across a college graduation stage to receive my bachelor's degree. Benedict College has truly prepared me for the life that I have always wanted and dreamt of."

He is currently in the process of applying for fall admission to the University of San Francisco for his Master of Public Affairs (MoPA) degree and his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree. He ultimately wants to be an attorney and a judge.