Gary DeShun Hamilton: The Bold Promise of Tomorrow
Gary DeShun Hamilton,听a first-generation college student,听graduated with his Doctorate in Education Policy and Leadership today after delivering the听School of Education鈥檚 graduate speaker student address.
In his speech, 鈥淭he Bold Promise of Tomorrow,鈥 Hamilton inspired educators,听offering听a clarion call for them to support antiracist pedagogy and fulfill their collective promise to students:听through education, the achievement of great things is possible. His own trajectory is a testimony听said promise.
鈥淕ary exuded passion when he spoke to the commencement audience about the challenges he鈥檚 overcome and about his students,鈥 recalled Bonnie Berry, executive assistant to SOE鈥檚 dean and AU Commencement Speech Committee member. 鈥淗e incorporated years of teaching young students who look up to someone who looks like them into his story and enlightened us with examples of how education enabled him to transcend the pitfalls of life鈥檚 challenges.鈥
The oldest of five children and听a native of Oak Cliff, Texas - where crime rates are usually one hundred percent above the national average 鈥 he sought refuge in schools and classrooms, which aided him during an upbringing rife with poverty and abuse.
鈥淚t was easy for me to find safe places in schools and classrooms. My life was very hard, and I suffered a lot of mental and physical abuse growing up,鈥 he recalled. 鈥淭eachers were the people who showed me they cared. They were gentle and understanding with me and became my extended family, enthusiastically inspiring me when no one in my life seemed to want to.鈥
Seeking a consistent level of comradery beyond the dangerous streets of Oak Cliff, the resourceful Hamilton joined his high school鈥檚 marching band, eventually becoming its leader. His trumpeting skills听enabled him to gain a four-year scholarship to Bethune-Cookman University, a HBCU in Daytona Beach, Florida, where he earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in psychology. Although the journey was challenging (he had never traveled outside of Oak Cliff), the euphoria of graduating from college further piqued his curiosity about the benefits of education. He soon enrolled in a master鈥檚 degree program in psychology (with an emphasis in special education) at Howard University, bringing him to Washington, DC, where he began to thrive.
He cut his teeth and built a solid reputation as a teacher supportive of students with dyslexia and autism before transitioning into the educational arenas of pedagogy and policy, becoming an instructional coach for DC Public Schools, where he 鈥渉elps improve pedagogy and instructional practices听that support K-5 students with learning disabilities.鈥
His first pursuit to earn a doctoral degree in education policy and leadership began at Howard but was quickly stymied by the untimely passing of his father, an important figure in his life. After nearly a decade-long academic hiatus, he rallied, leading him to 麻豆果冻传媒鈥檚 newly formed online doctoral program, drawn by its focus on early literacy intervention and antiracist pedagogy.
鈥淢y higher education had taken place solely at HBCUs, and I had never had an online class, so AU鈥檚 program was fate,鈥 he remembered. 鈥淚 knew that with any program, the Problem of Practice had to deal with literacy, and the AU program鈥檚 emphasis on听antiracism pedagogy enabled me to study areas I was concerned about, such as the education and pedagogy of Black boys; the apathy of informing children and Black boys; the social emotional learning of Black boys; instructional bias; and masculinity.鈥
In April, Hamilton successfully defended his dissertation, 鈥淭he Influence of Masculinity on Reading Engagement in Black Boys in Kindergarten鈥5th Grade: An Analysis of Instructional Bias and On Task Learning Behaviors.鈥
Soon after, he heard about SOE鈥檚 commencement speaker opportunity. The amalgamation of his passion for education, areas of study, and ability to overcome obstacles -听along with his empathy,听optimism, and communicative acumen - rendered him an ideal candidate.
鈥We, graduate students of AU, are a heartbeat of a better America. Education is not what makes America great. It is what heals America,鈥 he shouted. 鈥淭hose are lines from my speech. I can鈥檛 wait.鈥
The School of Education鈥檚 spring 2023 Commencement ceremony took place Friday, May 12. A video recording of Hamilton鈥檚 commencement speech can be viewed here.
Read more about SOE's spring 2023 graduates here.