Scott and Davieian
May 2020 TeamMates of the Month: Looking Forward
Park Middle School student Davieian is looking forward to becoming a doctor one day. He is also excited about playing sports at Lincoln High, where he’ll start school next year. But for now, he is looking forward to seeing his TeamMates mentor, Scott, once school resumes.
Looking forward is a theme brought up continuously with this pair; Davieian shares how Scott has helped him overcome challenges through perseverance and hope. “He told me even if it’s bad now, it’s always going to get better, you just have to wait,” Davieian says. Davieian hasn’t always enjoyed school as much as he does now. Scott says he never pried about his mentee’s grades, but that Davieian brings them up intermittently and has shown awesome improvement.
Davieian appreciates how Scott has helped him expand his mindset, and he and Scott agree it’s likely a combination of TeamMates and naturally maturing over their four years of friendship that has helped him grow.
They also agree that Davieian is the better basketball player of the two. “Scott loves to play knock-out, and he used to always beat me.” Davieian bursts out laughing recalling a reunion meeting after one summer break, “At our first meeting after we came back he said, ‘Oh, look you grew!’ I asked him if he wanted to play knock-out. I beat him, and he was so shocked.”
Scott says he isn’t afraid to embarrass himself. “I’ve done it a couple times! I’ve face planted just tripping over my own feet. Davieian gets a good laugh out of it so that makes the day,” he says. Davieian thinks their funny and outgoing personalities might be why they were initially matched as TeamMates back in 2016. “When we walk in the hallways at school there’s not too many kids he doesn’t know,” says Scott.
Davieian has a couple of friends who also have TeamMates but wishes more people knew the benefits. “I love to tell people that TeamMates is not just about getting out of class. I like meeting with my TeamMate because it’s fun, but it also helps me do the right things in my life,” Davieian explains.
In their conversations about life, sports, and school, Scott tries to include tidbits of wisdom or alternative perspectives, but ultimately encourages Davieian to make his own decisions. Scott has faith in Davieian continuing to grow and make positive choices, “He’s a great kid.” Davieian says he is staying on top of schoolwork amidst current remote learning, but will be happy when school is back in session. “One day it’s all going to go back to normal, and I’ll see Scott again.”