Staff Story: Mr. D.

It’s been over 10 years for Mr. D, but he’s not slowing down any time soon. Sean d’Encarnacao, or Mr. D to his kids and staff, has been the site coordinator at David A. Brown Middle School in Wildomar since 2008. “I do what I do for many reasons,” Mr. D says, “But the biggest accomplishment at Brown is creating a culture that students want to be part of even after leaving for high school and or college.” That “culture” is why three of Mr. D’s former students are back this fall to work as program leaders.

Maria, Fred and Diego were all students at Brown and in the Think Together program at the same time – Fred and Maria were in sixth grade and Diego was in eighth grade. Mr. D provided a safe space, a second home, for them. Maria explains, “I was part of a family, Mr. D is like an uncle to me.” Diego agrees, “The program helped me get away from bad habits, it made me the person I am today.” Now they’re back supporting their mentor in changing the odds for kids.

Dare to be great – it’s Mr. D’s motto, something he encourages all his students to live by. It’s the biggest lesson Fred learned while he was at Brown too. Fred shares, “The program taught me a lot of life lessons that I used throughout high school [like as the high school student body president], so I wanted to come back and give back to the kids.” It’s Maria, Fred and Diego’s turn to dare the next generation to be great.

Top 25 high school students, student body presidents, valedictorians, college graduates – Mr. D’s students are going places. When asked why he’s still at Brown, he responds, “The main reason is the love, the kids give me so much love…I just want to keep giving them more.” Hundreds of students have gone through Think’s afterschool program at Brown, and they all leave changed for the better. Diego emphasizes, “We’re always going to be family.”