By JOEY JOHNSTON
The Tampa Tribune
(c) Tampa Bay Times. Originally published May 13, 2006.
TAMPA – Nine years ago, Adedayo Banwo’s world was centered in a tiny apartment at Robles Park Public Housing Complex, where he lived with his mother and brothers. He was surrounded by poverty and divisive influences. Still, he clung to a dream.
Somehow, he saw the potential for so much more.
Today, Banwo graduates from Duke University’s School of Law.
“I guess there’s an obvious question,” said Banwo, 25. “How did I get here?”
How did he go from having no money to winning the prestigious Park Scholarship, a full ride worth $100,000, at North Carolina State University?
How did he go from riding city buses around Tampa to completing a master’s degree in philosophy and law at Cambridge University in England?
How did he go from a door-to-door pitchman, persuading local businessmen to subsidize his participation in statewide high school debate contests, to a college student who trades e-mail and phone conversations with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas?
“I’m not sure if the word ‘unique’ is good enough to describe Adedayo,” said Jim Coleman, a professor of law at Duke, who utilized Banwo as his research assistant. “His self-confidence is amazing.”
It doesn’t surprise Banwo’s mother, Patricia.
“He was always so convincing, a real go-getter,” said his mother, secretary for the principal at an alternative school. “At 12, he knew he wanted to go to college. He knew we didn’t have the money. He would cry, and I’d encourage him. If you keep doing the right thing, keep studying, keep reading, Adedayo, a way will be made for you.”
Adedayo is a Nigerian name, meaning, “God has crowned me with happiness.”
Today, Patricia Banwo boards a flight to Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina. She thought she would need to drive through the night to witness her son’s graduation. But the Carrollwood Bar Association, another organization that has befriended Adedayo, purchased her plane ticket.
A way was made for her.
“It’s my best present for Mother’s Day,” she said. “I can’t help but get emotional and cry. Adedayo knew what he wanted. No matter what, he wasn’t going to settle.”
Looking For Help
Nine years ago, Banwo began his unlikely ascension.
Former NFL player and Buccaneers defensive lineman Tyrone Keys, executive director of All Sports Community Service, was awakened by a Saturday morning telephone call. It was 5:30 a.m.
“Mr. Keys? This is Adedayo. I’m one of the students who met you at the scholarship fair.”
Keys shook from his slumber.
“Yes, I remember you.”
“Mr. Keys, I am sorry for calling you this early. I’m embarrassed to be doing this. But you said to call if I ever needed anything.”
“Don’t worry about it. What do you need?”
Banwo was on the Hillsborough High School debate team. It was headed to Gainesville for a competition. The fee: $100 for expenses. He didn’t have it. Keys was his last option. The bus left in two hours.
Keys began his All Sports organization in 1993, helping fledgling high school students earn athletic scholarships. In return, he required the students to perform community service.
Banwo, admittedly, was not an elite athlete. He was on Hillsborough’s track and field team, making regionals in the triple jump. He flirted with football practice, but it got in the way of his academics and oratorical pursuits.
“There is always pressure on a young black male to pursue sports,” Banwo said. “I didn’t agree with that. It seemed risky. To escape poverty, I thought education was more of a guaranteed way to get out.”
Keys, entranced by Banwo’s personality and honesty, came up with the $100. And Banwo repaid the favor – over and over.
Banwo volunteered for All Sports. He filed papers. He made speeches. He wrote news releases. He served as a mentor for younger kids. Three times a week, he rode a city bus, then walked an additional mile to reach the All Sports office.
“Adedayo knocked everyone’s socks off,” Keys said. “He’s just a positive force in the lives of everyone he knows. We had to help him even more.”
Keys was accustomed to producing highlight videos for aspiring football and basketball players, trying to catch the eye of college coaches.
At N.C. State, the Park Scholarship committee received an Adedayo Banwo highlight video, produced by All Sports Community Service.
Banwo wasn’t running into the end zone. He was speaking to audiences.
“We don’t usually receive videos for our candidates,” said Laura Lunsford, director of N.C. State’s Park Scholarship. “This was a different case. Adedayo was an incredible orator. His presence, his cadence, his interpersonal skills … we had to interview him.”
Lunsford remembers coming to Tampa. Banwo, still growing into his lanky body, wore a borrowed suit. He exuded confidence.
“If we were to give you $100,000, the value of this scholarship, what would you buy?” Lunsford asked.
“I would start an organization like All Sports Community Service,” Banwo said. “I want to give back.”
Lunsford remembers what she thought to herself.
“Wow!”
Overwhelmed With Pride
Banwo fancies himself a writer. He covered sports for the school newspaper at N.C. State. At Cambridge, he labored over papers, picking apart his words, reconstructing his thoughts. At Duke, he worked on persuasion, realizing that legal opinions needed firm foundations.
Writing skills will never be more important than later this summer, when Banwo begins a one-year stint as clerk for Judge Carl Stewart of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Shreveport, La.
Banwo’s story?
“I guess the theme would be determination,” said Banwo, who has worked with the Carlton Fields firm in Tampa the past two summers.
His mother made certain their apartment had books. Banwo remembers reading countless Reader’s Digest condensed stories, old newspaper articles, newsletters, anything short of labels on condiment bottles. His peers had footballs and basketballs tucked under their arms. He carried books.
“When you are [from] public housing, there’s almost a stigma, a lack of expectations that you can [excel],” said Banwo, who religiously reads four newspapers a day. “That’s not right. They called me ‘nerd.’ I just didn’t listen. I wasn’t into what other people thought.
“I wasn’t scared of learning or being thought of as smart. Most people encouraged me to keep going, keep striving. Even some of the drug dealers.”
Banwo met Justice Thomas at a function in Washington. Thomas called him the next day and has since become an encouraging mentor.
One of many for Banwo.
“Adedayo has a special way of attracting people,” Coleman said from his Duke office. “He’s very aggressive but does it in a way that looks almost effortless. That’s what a client wants in a lawyer. They want a rock.”
After today, he will be Adedayo Banwo, B.A., M.Phil., J.D. His mother gets all the diplomas, keeping them in a special place. She doesn’t need to advertise her son’s success. People constantly ask about him.
“If you have the desire, there’s a way, no matter who you are,” she said. “That’s Adedayo’s platform. The thing that makes me proud is now he’s going to reach back and help people coming up behind him. As a mother, what more can you ask? I’m overwhelmed with pride.”
