Former gang member becomes teacher of the year

– Former gang member showed that people can make their dreams come true regardless of their horrific past

– Darrion Cockrell became a teacher despite being a former gang member and won the 2021 Missouri Teacher of the Year award

– Darrion joined the gang at the age of 10, but his life changed when he was adopted by a football coach and his wife

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A former gang member in the United States who changed his life was named 2021 Missouri Teacher of the Year.

In a Lad Bible report, Darrion Cockrell said he joined Six-deuce-87 Kitchen Crip gangster when he was 10 years old.

The physical education teacher from Crestwood Elementary, St. Louis, made the disclosure in his award acceptance speech.

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Cockrell, whose mother was a drug addict and whose father was murdered when he was four, said he felt like he was born just to fail growing up.

His life started to make sense when he was adopted by a football coach and his wife who sent him to another school.

Darrion Cockrell saw his life turned upside down when he was adopted by a football coach and his wife. Photo credit: Missouri Department of Education
Source: UGC

In his words:

“My new teachers really cared. They pushed my family and me. They supported us tremendously. These experiences and relationships changed my perspective on people and school.”

Separately, a Nigerian woman identified as Nwamaka Oparaoji took to social media to share how she has survived since losing her father at the age of nine.

Nwamaka, who took to her LinkedIn page to share her story, said she traveled to the United States with a bachelor’s degree and worked at the Window Passage Driving Kentucky Fried Chicken.

She said she made $ 50 a week, took three buses to work, and was paid $ 5.60 an hour.

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The woman, who said she was given a childhood animal name meaning worthless woman, revealed that she also worked as a nursing assistant.

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