Derrick duplessey, boston '98 alumnus

“Summer Search inspires others to overcome adversity in the face of enormous hardship.”

Being different is a way of life for Derrick. As a boy, he was teased, taunted, and even knocked around by other school children for being different. A Boston-born son of Haitian immigrants of humble circumstances, Derrick had to withstand prejudice from American students who disliked him for being of Haitian descent, and Haitian students who questioned his Haitian-ness.

Despite this personal hardship, Derrick was enrolled in Urban Scholars, a rigorous college preparatory program, and was eventually referred to Summer Search. His summer trip was an eye-opening, 35-day journey with Deer Hill Expeditions to the Four Corners region of the U.S., where he spent 15 days on a Navajo reservation. Once again, Derrick felt different from the other students in his group who came from very privileged backgrounds.

By the end of his journey, that feeling of being an outsider began to change. From the Navajo family that welcomed the group into their humble home, to the privileged students who shared their own intimate stories, Derrick felt that this journey “changed the scope of what was possible” and came home renewed with optimism and hope.

For the first time in his life, Derrick had an appreciation for his unique background, outside the confines of his neighborhood. Then, not more than six weeks after his trip, tragedy stuck. The student who sat next to Derrick in homeroom was stabbed in the heart and died seven days later -- on his birthday. That student was Derrick’s cousin. Derrick raised money for the funeral, and was a good steward to his cousin’s name, but gave himself little time to grieve or process what happened.

Derrick enrolled at Bowdoin College, and those feelings of being different were renewed. At Bowdoin, Derrick endured incidents of racism while he struggled with his studies and the weight of his cousin’s death. Eventually, Derrick suffered a nervous breakdown and had to leave school. In this dark period, Derrick reached out to his mentors at Summer Search for support.

After a one-year leave of absence, Derrick returned to Bowdoin and completely turned his life around. He became co-President of the Afro American Society and an organizer of campus events - including a conference on minorities in the sciences. He also became an excellent student, and was chosen for the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship to pursue his academic interests.

Today, Derrick sees that his being different has become an asset rather than a handicap, and has a strong sense of self. This has in turn allowed him to give back. He helped to found the Summer Search Alumni Executive Board, which he now chairs; and recently, Derrick joined the Summer Search Boston Board. He also hosts an annual fundraiser that doubles as his birthday party which to date, has raised $25,000 that he splits between Summer Search and Urban Scholars. Currently, Derrick works for J. Robert Scott, an executive search firm in Boston, and is in the process of starting a non-profit focused on developing leadership through entrepreneurship among 18-24 year olds.