Mentoring: Just do it

CLARIFICATION: This article did not clearly state why Hafie Yillah was robbed at gunpoint. He was robbed after taking pictures at a hiphop show in Washington. This incident was a random act of violence.

With boxes of Nikes in hand, members of the Maryland Sneaker Cartel visited a class of Silver Spring eighth-graders Friday to share the unconventional paths they took to pursue their passions and inspire the students to do the same.

A teacher from Silver Spring International Middle School invited the Sneaker Cartel — a student-run organization of sneaker enthusiasts and aspiring entrepreneurs who participate in philanthropy events — to show her class how young adults are embracing their interests beyond the classroom. And group members openly shared their stories of the personal struggles they went through to reach their goals.

Sneaker Cartel founder and junior communication major Hafie Yillah told how peer pressure in high school led him to make a series of wrong decisions until he was finally robbed at gunpoint. Another member of the group, junior government and politics major Jenny Williams, said she lost a shot at Division 1 basketball after letting her ego and laziness get in the way; she is now a dj and motivational speaker.

Senior government and politics major Jamal Aladdin said he earned top grades in a pre-health magnet program only to realize the field was not for him when he failed a pre-medicine course at this university. Today, Aladdin is an avid photographer.

Overcoming those defeats with strong character and morals, the students said, was what ultimately led them to the success and contentment they experience today.

"When I was in middle school, I didn't realize how involved having great morals and values is to achieving your goals," Williams said. "We just want to convey that to as many kids as we possibly can."

Yillah told the students they should embrace their individuality and find their "superpower," — their tool to have the most impact on the world. He also advised them to find positive role models amid the challenges and temptations of high school.

"Superman wouldn't surround himself with people holding kryptonite," Yillah told the students, some of whom participated in a project to explore their passions as part of the International Baccalaureate program. "Make sure [your friends] are as invested in their passions as you are in yours, because you're going to be growing with them."

The school's principal, John Haas, said he thinks the group members have already served as role models to empower the middle schoolers to pursue their own goals.

"One of the things I've learned about students in general is if you can get them hooked and get them motivated, they are a force to be reckoned with," he said. "And this is really their opportunity to feel themselves out and express their beliefs and their passion."

Visiting the class was not the two-year-old group's first experience giving back. Last spring, members collected about 500 pairs of shoes and donated them to disaster victims through the nonprofit organization Soles4Souls. The group is planning another shoe drive for the spring, and hopes to run a program on Sneakerology — a course developed by Carnegie Mellon students in 2009 on the product life cycle of shoes and sneaker culture.

Yillah said he has been in touch with several potential guest speakers, including one of the founders of Sneakerology, Elliott Curtis, DJ and sneaker connoisseur Bobbito Garcia and other shoe designers.

"It's not about selling shoes, selling clothes, selling a lifestyle," said Sneaker Cartel Vice President and junior psychology major Marshall Tan. "There are times when marketing can be used for a good cause, not just something to make money."

But promoting shoes and the individual members' endeavors — which include filming, photography, modeling and web design — are only part of the effort.

Williams, a DJ and motivational speaker, said members must have strong character and regularly strive to put their passions to use by helping others. As middle school students, she said, the best thing they can do is practice dedication and patience.

"People think going after your dreams is very cut-and-dry, but it's more than just carrying out the steps and doing hard work," Williams said. "You really have to have a good character."

Williams said as a high school basketball player, she averaged 20 points per game, but she was benched after she decided to take a trip to Canada with friends during the basketball season.

"My coach said ‘Jenny, you don't work as hard as you can, you're cocky, you think you can do whatever you want to do,'" Williams said. "The point is, you're never too good to work hard, you're not the exception to the rule."