D'Artagnan Scorza wants to help expand the life chances of young people—especially young African American men—whose destiny might be influenced by the social and economic problems associated with their childhood families or communities. The general consensus among educators is that the window of opportunity closes after eighth grade, but he disagrees. "With the right kind of support in high school—or even later—they still have a chance."

His passionate commitment to this belief is at the center of his life these days. As a graduate student in education, he is developing a Black Male Youth Academy curriculum that "uses the school structure to help students develop a positive identity and to achieve academically and socially." In addition, his work with the African Student Union at UCLA and his links to other campuses won him appointment as a student member of the UC Board of Regents, where he can speak on behalf of greater access and affordability for traditionally underrepresented students. And at a personal level, he is the father of a small boy. Today's trends suggest the youngster "has a greater chance of going to prison than going to college," D'Artagnan says. "That's not acceptable to me."

He also knows, at a personal level, that a person can grow up in an environment of poverty and still "come to school and take advantage of the educational opportunities available." Raised in Watts, his father a drug addict who was never home and his mother struggling to raise two children alone on a clerk's wages, D'Artagnan nevertheless excelled in school. "I always had programs and people in my life—teachers and family—to help provide support," he says. "I didn't get here by myself."

Although D'Artagnan recalls being interested in social justice as early as second or third grade, a major turning point occurred when he visited South Africa in 2001 as part of a travel abroad program led by History Professor William Worger. "I stood in Nelson Mandela's cell, which was a powerful experience for me," he says. Seeing poverty in South Africa, he understood that what he had experienced in Watts "was nothing compared to what they experience over there." As a result, he "came back with a stronger desire to make an impact on the world."

The direction that impact would take was influenced by the events of September 11, 2001. He "saw the smoke from the towers all the way down in South Jersey," he says, where he was living with his new wife and their son. His wife was in the Navy, and he soon joined, too, believing that "this is where I can go to have an impact right now," he says. D'Artagnan served for more than four years, including a tour in Iraq where he helped to set up and operate a support unit for naval personnel in the region. Although his assignment kept him "as safe as I could be in a war zone," D'Artagnan nonetheless "knew that I could die at any moment," he says. "That lesson wasn't lost on me. That's what drove my motivation when I got back."

He quickly returned to UCLA, completing a bachelor's degree in little more than a year. Looking for a new way to make an impact, he joined the African Student Union, working on issues related to admissions, campus climate, and academic preparation—in short "how to make the university more affordable and more accessible for people who traditionally don't attend." Soon extending his activities beyond UCLA, "I had a much better grasp of what happens throughout the entire system," he says, and sought to shape policies and "the conversation on larger issues."

His appointment as a student regent is like "a crash course in higher education," he says. "You can't get better training." Professor Worger, who led the trip to South Africa, has "indelible memories" of D'Artagnan "constantly debating/questioning arguing with everyone on the trip about issues ranging from the causes of inequity in contemporary South Africa to the pros and cons of marriage." Professor Worger believes "the university, the system, and the Regents will benefit immeasurably from his enthusiasm, energy, and insights."

Some of that enthusiasm and energy, however, will be reserved for an action research project he's pioneering at a high school in Inglewood. As an undergraduate McNair Research Scholar last year, D'Artagnan had a class period twice a week with a group of two dozen or so black male students, teaching them the social and cultural history of African Americans and working to develop their "leadership skills, education goals, and personal pride."

Thanks to positive results, he will have a homeroom class each school day at the same location this year, and he's developing a curriculum that will allow others to replicate his program in other settings. That work will probably form the core of his doctoral research under Associate Professor of Education Ernest D. Morrell. His graduate coursework is helping him to enrich his database and enhance his analysis.

All of this background, he hopes, will prepare him for a leadership role in California schools, where he can make "much larger educational changes," but still working toward the goal that moves him now: helping more people from backgrounds like his to take advantage of the opportunities he continues to explore.

Published in Winter 2008, Graduate Quarterly