Peabody alumnus Darius Wynn (Class of 2008) attended Peabody from 6th through 8th grade, but you can still regularly see him back on campus, advising our 8th grade entrepreneurship class this year! (Sometimes he stops and says hi to his parents, Peabody Athletic Director Waki Wynn and Resource/Enrichment/Service Learning Specialist Traci Wynn 🙂 We took the opportunity to ask Darius about his experiences at Peabody and what he is working on now.
“Peabody was the first environment I was in where learning was cool. The students were always very encouraging and the academics were not only challenging but they correlated with real life issues,” Wynn said. “Although I got along with some teachers better than others, they all had an impact on me. Mrs. Albright and Mrs. Gorsch were two teachers that I remember challenging me the most, not only academically but also in terms of my character.”
Wynn attended St. Anne’s-Belfield for high school, and graduated cum laude from Green Mountain College (VT) with a degree in sustainable business. “Peabody prepared me extremely well for high school and college academically,” Wynn said. “I was more advanced than my classmates from day one academically.”
Peabody “also taught me how to be comfortable being uncomfortable. I was the first African-American student to graduate from Peabody, and I think that my experience was very different than other students. However, I look back on it as a positive thing, as it prepared me for being comfortable standing out — and when you start a business before you get a “real job,” you definitely stand out.”
After finishing college, Wynn says he immediately started working on his business, Passioo, (www.passioo.com) which is a ticket marketplace and social media platform for high schools and youth events. “We officially launched as of November 1st, 2018 and have partnerships with companies such as ScrimmagePlay and Fanteractive.” Wynn expressed his gratitude to have been “provided the opportunity to receive business mentoring from Mr. Rick Kulow, a Peabody parent who still serves as one of my mentors today.”
Wynn remembers Peabody fondly, noting that he was in the chess club here “and I still have a deep love for chess.” He added, “There isn’t one particular memory that stands out, but one of my favorite experiences at Peabody was having basketball practice at the armory. There weren’t even lines on the court, and now when I go to the school there’s a beautiful gym! The transformation of the school has been nice to watch from the outside and I can’t wait to see what changes and additions are made in the future.”
Any advice for the Peabody Class of 2019? “Advice is almost always super cliché, but my advice to the class of 2019 would be to do what feels right and work hard. As long as you’re happy doing whatever it is you’re doing then that’s all the matters. Your results will be a reflection of the work you put into it. “Rome was not built in one day!”