Darryl Thomas Jr. uses the stories of his life to inspire his students and at-risk youth. And in his latest book, “Today We Win: How Real Students Found the Answers to Life’s Tests,” he encourages his students to tell their own stories to help others.
Thomas grew up in Fort Worth but left with his pregnant fiancé after graduating high school. He joined the Marine Corps and traveled extensively, including deployments to Kuwait in 2003 and Iraq in 2004.
Expecting their fifth child, Thomas and his wife moved back to Texas after his military discharge. They settled in Austin for a few years before moving to Waco in 2015.
Around this time, his oldest son was attending Midway Middle School and Thomas had an idea.
“I met with the school board and asked if there a chance to mentor some of the boys who were struggling,” Thomas said. “I wanted to use lessons I learned in the Marine Corps to help kids who needed guidance. The school board members liked the idea and offered me the opportunity, which ultimately became a job as a teacher in EXCEL, Midway’s alternative school program. Through this endeavor, I helped to build their Character Education Program.”
In Thomas’ program, he shared with his students his experiences growing up surrounded by tragedy. Among his many traumatic experiences was watching his father die at the hands of his girlfriend when Thomas was 14 years old.
“I remember my dad sitting me down a few months before he passed away and saying, ‘I want you to make me a promise. I don’t know what’s going to happen to me but if something does, I want you to promise me that you’ll take care of your little brother, Quincy,’” Thomas recalled.
This promise was put to the test the night his father died. It encouraged Thomas not to seek retaliation, as he knew that would mean his younger brother would lose both his father and his older brother. In keeping this promise, Thomas found purpose in his life.
Being vulnerable with his students by sharing difficult personal stories has helped Thomas relate to and encourage them to not only work on improving their character but also set goals for themselves that would stretch them. He also decided that he needed to set lofty goals for himself, which led him to declare to his students that he was going to write a book, which he did in 2017.
He self-published his first book “Today … I Win: When Tests Go Beyond the Classroom,” a childhood memoir written to empower young leaders.
Thomas has now written six books including a partnership with like-minded fathers called “When the Walls Speak: Fathers Restoring Generational Confidence.” The book encourages fathers to restore generational confidence in their children, which Thomas believes is lacking today. This book earned the distinction of being an Amazon Bestseller.
The students in his program sit at the edge of their seats when Thomas shares his stories. This convinced him that students should share their own experiences in order to encourage others. So far, he has published stories from students at La Vega High School and Connolly High School, with plans to expand through the country. Thomas is now working with the DECA program in Washington, D.C. to help with this endeavor. His goal is to have 10 volumes by next year.
“My students became published authors before they became high school graduates, which is a great thing to include on their resume or college application.” Thomas beamed. “The schools helped to elevate that experience by giving them a schoolwide student assembly where they did book signings in front of the school.”
Thomas’ students have positive things to say about their time with the man they call Coach Thomas or Coach D. My’Toria Gamble, an 18-year-old Connally High School graduate, said that, “Being in this program meant a lot to me because it helped me build my character as well as strong relationships with my classmates. I got to help the underclassman with both personal issues and homework. Also, writing this book and being able to share my story meant that I could help others outside of my school. Even adults have told me they took advice from me.”
Another Connally graduate, Isaac Rodarte said, “Coach D and I met my eighth-grade summer when I attended one of his leadership camps. I could tell that he really wanted to see us do the best we could in our lives. Coach D loves what he does and is a great Godly man who I am so grateful for.”
Mia Escobedo, a 20-year-old graduate from La Vega high school recalled, “Coach D’s program helped me to be more confident. Our groups would talk about what was going on in society and how we, the community, could change it.”
“Coach D will always be in my corner,” stated La Vega graduate Eric Hicks Jr. “He helped me through some of the toughest times in my life and I am forever grateful to be one of the first student-athletes to write a book called ‘Today We Win.’ I learned it is possible to overcome my fears. We all go through hard things in life, but I will never stop chasing my dreams and never give up.’’
Malakai Sterling, a 17-year-old Connally student, shared, “The fact that Coach D gave me a chance to tell my story to my friends and classmates is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I’m truly thankful that he gave me the chance to grow as both a leader and a man.”
Alaina Martinez, Connally graduate, said, “My chapter is about insecurity at a young age. You never know what someone is self-conscious about so it’s not your job to comment on it. I really enjoyed getting to share my story and that would have never happened if Coach Thomas didn’t believe in us. I encourage whoever is reading this article to take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way.”
Another project close to Thomas’ heart is working with young people in juvenile detention. He discovered that most kids in the prison system read on a fourth-grade level or lower. His latest project is “Hope for the Underdogs” where he sets out to increase the literacy of kids in the juvenile detention system in order to decrease the recidivism rate.
More information can be found about Thomas’ books and programs on his website darrylwthomas.com.
