News and Information
Meet Alumni Ryan Swan
Ryan Swan is a recently graduated senior from Overland High School.
October 12th, 2015
Ryan Swan is a recently graduated senior at Overland High School. As a member of The Brotherhood and the Overland High School 5A State Champion Basketball team, Ryan is attending the Air Force Academy. He was the starting forward for the Overland team, as well as for his club team with the Chauncey Billups Elite Basketball Academy.
Ryan attributes most of his success to his mother and family. Everyone is his support system holds him accountable for what he should be doing, and pushes him when it seems like he is slacking off. As such, he tries to do his best with everything that he does.
“My mom always said, ‘Don’t be another statistic!’ ” Ryan states referring to stories of African American males dropping out of high school. “She told me that I was better than that.”
Ryan moved to Colorado at the beginning of his junior year of high school from Tucson, Arizona. Having grown up in a predominantly Caucasian, Mormon neighborhood with only five other African American kids, getting acclimated to a very diverse community took some time. However, with Ryan’s friendly personality and athletic ability, he was able to transition without much problem.
“I moved here with my mom so that we could be closer to family,” says Ryan. “My grandmother was already here, and my sister was attending college here.”
Moving to a different school for high school was good for Ryan. His sister was very attractive in their Tucson community, and being her younger sibling was tough. “I was always referred to as Jamie’s little brother, said Ryan. “My sister is naturally talented, and I had to work hard for everything.” Since getting his identity was a big challenge for Ryan, coming to a school where the legacy of his sister didn’t exist was very empowering for him.
Although he was new to the school as a junior, Ryan did not join The Brotherhood until the beginning of his senior year. He had been approached by Danny Wetmore, Chief of Staff of The Brotherhood, and the organization’s liaison to Overland.
“I knew some of the guys that were in The Brotherhood but didn’t know much about it, “ Ryan commented. “After speaking with Danny, I decided to join so that I could learn more being a Black male in our society.”
Through the discussions and interactions in The Brotherhood program, Ryan felt more informed about what was going in the world. It also gave him a fresh perspective on his life.
“During our meetings, we would have discussions about current events,” shared Ryan. “After talking about things like the riots in Baltimore, it showed me how our issues are little compared to others, and that our problems here are not the biggest or worst in the world. You should be thankful for what you have.”
It is gaining this perspective that he believes is one of the most important aspects to The Brotherhood. Ryan also believes that the group is a great tool for helping incoming students transition to high school.
Ryan had numerous college offers is very excited about attending the Academy in the fall. He is currently working out with their basketball team and preparation for the upcoming season. Ryan is also a little scared about the military aspect of the Academy. He states that is mom is very proud of him and also a little scared. “It will be different once I am in college,” comments Ryan. “I will be my own person and mom will not be able to claim me anymore.” Ryan also added, “She cries every time that she sees an Air Force commercial on TV.”
We wish Ryan well during his first semester and his endeavors as a college freshman. We also send our support as he tries out for Air Force basketball team. Perhaps, the next tears of joy from his mom will come as she’s watching him dribble the ball up the court as a starter.