Brandon Douglas

Brandon Douglas, who grew up in the heart of West End and faced multiple challenges, is a PFY success story.

Brandon joined PFY when he was fourteen years old in 2002. He had just begun living with his aunt, because his mother was in prison and his grandmother had died. With the support of his PFY tutor who met with him twice/week, he took a total of eight honors classes and two AP classes at Jordan High School. He graduated with a 4.1 grade point average and also served as Student Body President his senior year. With the help of John Burness, Senior VP for Public Affairs at Duke, Brandon worked as summer intern for the Morgan Stanley Investment Firm in New York City during the summers of 2005 and 2006.

In 2006, he enrolled at Morehouse College where he was an Oprah Winfrey Scholar. He graduated with a double major in business-marketing and dance.

DeWarren Langley

DeWarren Langley embodies the spirit of PFY, having joined PFY as a student member in 2002 to becoming the Chair of our Board of Directors in 2008.

While in PFY, he interned at the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce for two summers. He also joined the staff of the Herald-Sun and edited our newsletter. It was during our annual trip, which was to Washington, DC in 2001, that he realized he had a passion for politics. Before our trip, the group studied a variety of public policy issues. They researched the issues for several weeks, wrote position papers about them and then delivered them on Capitol Hill. DeWarren took full advantage of the experience and, of all the students who participated, seized the message the experience was meant to convey: that young people have a right and a responsibility to participate in the political process. He fully integrated this concept into his own life and took action. He immediately began working on creating his own non-profit called Teenagers Politically Active, with the mission of giving teens a vehicle to participate in public policy formation. He successfully recruited student members and made solid connections with members of City Council the County Commissioners and a variety of local leaders. Through all of these activities, he became a well-known leader in Durham and has been a remarkable advocate for teens.

DeWarren graduated from high school in 2003 and earned a degree in Business Management and Economics with a minor in Leadership Studies from Hampton University in 2007. He will graduate from North Carolina Central University School of Law in 2011. He is also earning a Certificate in Dispute Resolution from the Dispute Resolution Institute at NCCU School of Law and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University. .

Danielle McLean

Danielle observed her older sister’s experience in PFY, tentatively joined as a fourteen year old in 2000, and then pursued her goal of a college degree with single-minded determination. As a PFY student, Danielle worked for the Durham Community Land Trustees and for two summers at Perkins Library at Duke. She also applied for and received a full scholarship to attend a week-long camp at North Carolina State University for high school students interested in textile design. Danielle consistently took challenging classes and made good grades and graduated from Jordan High School in 2005. She enrolled at East Carolina University where she graduated in 2009 with a 3.7 GPA in her major of Business Administration.

Danielle’s achievements have taken place against the backdrop of severe financial and social hardship. Her grandmother was her legal guardian. Her mother and many of her adult relatives were addicted to drugs her entire childhood. Her older sister was the first member of her family to attend college. Danielle now works for an telecommunications company in Greenville NC and is planning to get her Masters of Business Administration.