There was a special guest presenter for staff professional development after school at Roosevelt High on Wednesday afternoon.
“I’m not a teacher,” he said. “I’m only here to share what I know about successful organizations and how to empower young people.”
He was one of the youngest people in the room, but as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserves, Dau Jok is already experienced at bringing elders to attention.
He’s also a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership at Drake University, AND an “Optimist, Philanthropist…and Social Entrepreneur who strives to lead, learn, inspire and thrive in all aspects of life,” according to his bio.
That’s the spirit!
Many at Roosevelt remember him as a member of the school’s Class of 2010, a basketball player who found his way to Roosevelt from South Sudan and went on to the Ivy League’s University of Pennsylvania. A captain of the Penn basketball team, Jok earned many recognitions for his work on and off the court, including the Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup, the U.S. Basketball Writers’ Association’s Most Courageous Award, and selection to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Good Works Team. He’s also earned a graduate degree in Global Leadership from Goldsmiths; University of London.
While still in school at Penn, Jok established the Dut Jok Youth Foundation to empower South Sudanese youth. The nonprofit honors the memory and legacy of Dau’s father, a Commander in the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) who was killed in one of Africa’s longest and bloodiest wars when Dau was a boy. He vividly recalled the day his father died and cited him as the inspiration for all of his achievements, those to date as well as those still to come.
Jok left Roosevelt brimming with promise and plans. Less than a decade later, he returned as a young man of already considerable achievement and delivered a presentation about organizational dynamics, growth mindsets, Circles of Safety and the The Why that would have been worth the teachers’ time regardless of the presenter.
But just as important as the content was (The) Who delivered it.
Dau Jok personifies two fundamental truths about Des Moines Public Schools:
- The nature of the challenge – students come here literally from all around the world under all manner of duress.
- The limitless possibilities – Jok was a diamond in the rough when he arrived at DMPS. The polishing that began here continues. More is sure to be heard from him.
It wasn’t strictly business, though. There were moments of casual candor, as when Jok asked for teachers who not only remembered him, but remembered having some trouble with him, to stand. More than a few rose to the bait – and everyone shared a retrospective laugh.
The last time Jok was at Roosevelt his rank was senior. Now he’s a Lieutenant.
“People asked when I graduated from Penn why I didn’t go into business,” Jok said. “But that’s not me. I’m proud to wear the uniform because the USA recognized my family.”
Spoken like a true All-American.
