Drew (Business)

For the young people who join the Impact Repertory Theater, a leadership training and cultural organization, theater work is part of a program that also includes demonstrations and voter registration drives. The Columbia professor who is the group’s founder says that in his three years with the group, Drew has stood out. Drew, the professor wrote, “has opted for relationships with mentors, young creative artists and youth activists over gangs. He grew up in the heart of Harlem, and despite the odds managed to find soul and richness in the community.” Very much a leader, his achievements are those of “a young man who understands how hard work and focus can transform pain to power.” For a year in grade school, Drew had a full scholarship to an elite private school, a different world of gourmet meals for lunch where “I discovered that people actually had more than one house to go to for the weekend, which was completely baffling.” Eventually he was able to end that year and move on to another school with a greater understanding of who he was and the life he wanted to live. He also speaks of a commitment to spirituality, and to developing himself.