#AlwaysThere: De'Asia

De’Asia might look familiar. If there’s an honor offered by Reach, she’s received it. As a 9th grader, she was quickly promoted to Lead Tutor. Shortly after that, she earned a spot on the Reach Leadership Council. She’s the author of two books, Speak and Finding Mumbo. She earned the prestigious Reach Hoodie. And, in 2020, she won Reach’s grand prize, $10,000 scholarship.

So yeah, De’Asia is kind of a big deal.

Currently a first-year student at Lincoln University, she has been #AlwaysThere for Reach for many years. Whatever we have asked of her, she has always stepped up. So, when I saw her share the first #AlwaysThere post of this season on Instagram – the one we wrote about Diamond and Mr. Eddie – I thought De’Asia was just spreading the word about our work.

“Mr. Mark! That’s my little cousin,” she later told me. This was the first I had heard that they knew each other. De’Asia later told me, “I remember when I found out she was in Reach. I was so happy, because I know firsthand how much help the program can offer.”

We love when our teens and alums encourage those they know to join Reach. There’s no better endorsement of our work. De’Asia is thriving. Diamond is thriving. They are truly the epitome of what it means to be #AlwaysThere for Reach.

And, we hear De’Asia has a little sister…let’s keep this family tradition going!

During the month of December, we aim to raise $200,000 to support our ongoing programming. While this year is different, we remain committed to providing comprehensive support to hundreds of students this year. We can’t do this without your support. Please consider making a gift here. So far, we have raised $153,925.