Da’veon Brown, also known as DayDay by his cheer teammates, was a normal student from Daytona Beach, Florida, or at least it appeared so. Brown’s family was facing displacement, and he and his siblings were separated for much of the time he was in high school.
“It was hard but I knew I just had to keep going,” Brown said.
He maintained a part-time job to pay his own expenses and take a weight off of his mother’s shoulders. This is when he was approached by a cheerleading coach at his high school, asking him to join the team. At first he was reluctant, but figured he might as well give it a try.
He began to like cheerleading and even competed with his cheerleading team in high school. Even with little experience, he was a big part of his team. He credits a lot of this to his coach, who played a steady role in his life despite the struggles of his home life. However, the happy ending of his high school career is not where this story ends.
Coming from a family facing financial difficulties and homelessness, he knew there would be no way for him to attend college and was prepared to enter the workforce. That was, until he was recruited to cheer at Jones College.
Cheering at Jones included a cheer scholarship, academic scholarship, as well as several private scholarships such as the St. Pierre Alliance. It was now a no brainer for him to accept these scholarships and have a chance to get a good education. After speaking with Jones Cheer Head Coach Kate Euwing, he was committed and ready to begin cheering collegiately.
He soon found himself on a plane to Mississippi for practices and setting up a dorm in August. He spent nearly five weeks in Ellisville this summer practicing with the team and getting ready for the upcoming season, which included going to the University of Alabama for a four-day cheerleading camp and making countless memories.
“It is hard being away from everything I know, but it is worth it to get a chance to cheer and to go to school,” Brown said.
“A ray of sunshine, the hardest worker on the team. You never come into an optional practice and don’t see DayDay in it, also with a smile and a hug for everyone,” Gracelyn Boggs, Jones cheerleader and freshman said.
Brown attributes this success and constant demeanor to seeing the struggle of his family and knowing that he had to overcome it in order to become successful but most importantly his faith. He shares that he motivates himself everyday by knowing that he wants to be successful and that getting his education is the most important thing to achieve that.
After overcoming struggles for most of his school years, he has come out not only stronger but more determined. No matter where he ends up, he will always be a member of Bobcat Nation and a proud Jones alumni. Brown would like to continue his schooling and graduate with a degree in nursing but is undecided in where he will attend the program. He also hopes to continue his cheerleading career at the next level and continue rising above adversity.
by Rylee Burks