Page 46 - WilmU - Spring 2017

ALUMNI
EUGENE YOUNG:
Being the Change
Say what you want about Wilmington, but this alumnus is making it his duty to change the negative narrative. by Britney Gulledge
To EUGENE YOUNG, Wil- mington has a lot to offer. While the city has earned a bad rap for crime and violence — notably named
Murdertown, USA, by Newsweek in 2014 — Young has a different perspective. To him, Wilmington is home; a place where he learned to serve his community.
His dedication to the city has driven him to raise $30,000 for an organization he co-founded, secure 30,000 books for local children, and to knock on 50,000 doors as a mayoral candidate.
“I’m just giving back to a city that has given me so much,” says Young. “I’ve seen firsthand how tight-knit our community is because I’m a product of it. People like my next- door neighbor, Mike Dorsey, have always treated me like a second son. My coaches have always gone above the call of duty. I can’t say enough about our community.”
Young’s picture of Wilmington is a far cry from what most know about Delaware’s largest city. It’s not one of guns, violence and drugs, even though he grew up on the 500 block of East Pine Street, a hot spot for violence. His parents, Eugene and Diane Young, enveloped him and his
sister in love and support. He recalls many community members and coaches who mentored him through the years. They saw his potential and shielded him from distractions that could’ve led him off the college track.
“They kept me accountable because I knew I couldn’t get away with much,” says Young. He also jokes that his height alone forced him to be accountable. (At 6'7" it’s hard to go unnoticed.) For as long as he can remember, Young has towered over his peers, making it hard to get into trouble without getting caught.
It worked in his favor.
Young earned a basketball scholar- ship to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where he received a dual degree in Sociology and Information Systems. In 2004, he was happy to return home but was disheartened by what he found.
“A lot of guys my age were having trouble with the law,” says Young. “The realness of seeing family members and friends letting their talents and genius go unused was too much.” He saw many ravaged by drugs or the drug trade and those whose records prevented them from finding jobs. He wanted to make a change.
Young connected with friends
Shannon Watson and Logan Herring, and together they spent $30,000 of their money to create Delaware Elite, a mentoring program for young men.
Herring remembers the first grueling years of beginning the non- profit. “The passion for seeing the boys turn into well-round citizens kept us going, but it wasn’t easy,” says Herring.
The initial focus was to work with young athletes in the city just as his previous coaches had done for them. Young and his co-founders soon realized more problems needed to be addressed beyond sports, like academics and leadership skills. The organization evolved to create a safe space for a cohort of about 75 young men to see them through elementary school to college.
Delaware Elite focused on the same group for years, vowing to be a consistently positive force as the boys grew into adulthood. Today, more than 200 young Wilmingtonians have been a part of the organization.
“Today we have guys in universities all over the country,” says Young. One of them is Tyaire Ponzo-Meek, a senior majoring in accounting at Wilmington University and is a starting point guard for the Wildcats.
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PHOTO BY PAUL PATTON