When you look at Jarell Lee’s credentials, you may assume he had everything easy. Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, he graduated from a tony private high school. He then attended Harvard University where he earned a degree in sociology and African-American studies.
His early life has even been chronicled i . If that wasn’t enough, he has also received two Master’s degrees from Hunter College and the University of Houston. Currently, the 36-year-old is the principal and founder of .
He is also a husband and father of two beautiful children. And while he’s helping to lead the next generation of Black youth, he’s found time to . But we’ll get to that soon.
Despite his impressive achievements and life, nothing was given to him, everything was earned. “Growing up in a single-parent household, we didn’t have much, we were pretty poor,” said Lee. Like all hero origin stories, he was motivated by his mentor.
“My mother told me that if I wanted a better life, I had to do well in school. So I did,’’ he said, adding.“Even though there were times when we were homeless and we lived in shelters for years, I still did really well in school.
According to the parenting book he is included in, Lee’s mother taught her thre-year-old toddler to read, by using flash cards during their time in a homeless shelter. Moving from shelter to shelter, Lee’s family finally found a house and stability in a neighborhood he called “the wasteland.” Being the smart, short kid in t.
