My name is David Darnell Kelly. I was born and reared in Nashville, Tennessee. My parents are Wayne and Clara Kelly. I attended Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Magnet School for the Health Sciences and Engineering at Pearl High. During my stint at M.L.K., I was captain of the Track and Field team and was selected to be a member of the Senior Homecoming Court. I was also very active in my church, Mt. Nebo Missionary Baptist Church. I was elected to be the president of the youth choir and the youth usher ministry, as well as the secretary of the Sunday School department. I also participated in various community service endeavors such as Room-in-the Inn and Habitat for Humanity.
I decided to attend college mainly because of the expectation that was set for me. My family and community expected great things from me and I knew the only way to fulfill that expectation was for me to attend an institution of higher learning. One of the members of my community, whom I had much respect for, gave me a list of various Historically Black Colleges and Universities that he believed would be well suited for me. On that list, was Claflin University. I was also interested in the Call Me M.I.S.T.E.R. program that just so happened to have a cohort at Claflin University. With these two aspects combined, I decided to attend Claflin University.
I initially chose to major in Elementary Education because I assumed it would be an easy way to pay for school. During the spring of my freshman year, I was actually exposed to the Call Me M.I.S.T.E.R. program at Claflin University. During the summer following my freshman year, I was able to participate in the Call Me M.I.S.T.E.R. summer internship. At the internship, I was exposed to the real-life difficulties and issues that many of the youth of today face. This experience helped me to truly recognize that my choice to major in Elementary Education was not an accident and that this field is truly where my passion lies.
In the time following the internship, I was able to use this newly found passion and use my energy towards various outreach and volunteer programs. During my time at Claflin University, I was able to participate in Claflin University’s Saturday Academy, the National Professional Development Program, C & M Learning Center, the Call Me M.I.S.T.E.R. summer internships, and various mentoring programs at local schools. I was chosen to speak about the Educational Achievement Gap during the Historically Black Colleges and University-Educational Testing Services National Conference in 2010. I was even selected as the 2011 Americorps Member of the Year for the State of South Carolina.
I believe I have been successful in the various positions that I’ve had because of my gift of vision. Claflin University’s motto is “The World Needs Visionaries.” I believe that I have been blessed to be a visionary. Not only am I able to dream big dreams for myself, but I also have big dreams to change the world.
In January of 2012, I began my teaching career teaching second grade at Mellichamp Elementary School in Orangeburg, South Carolina. In August of 2012, I moved to teaching fourth grade English Language Arts and Social Studies at Marshall Elementary School in Orangeburg, South Carolina. From there, I plan to become a principal and I plan to eventually own my own school. I believe that the best way to change the world is through the mentalities of the youth of today, who are the leaders of tomorrow.