Darren Meredith, City Springs Elementary / Middle School, 3rd through 8th
High School: Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, Class of 2019
- Played football
- Recipient of two graduation awards: Most Improved Student since freshman year and the Edward Fenimore Award for exemplifying determination and accomplishment through their academic journey at Poly
College: Morgan State University, Electrical Engineering major, Class of 2023
Internships:
- Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Intern and Business Analyst, Exceed IT and Cybersecurity, September 2022 through May 2023, Baltimore, Md.
- Avionics Engineering Intern, May 2023 – present, Department of Defense, Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), Patuxent River, Md
How a BCP school Prepared him:
“My time at a BCP school helped prepare me for the future because I had so many staff members and coaches I could call on if I needed assistance or guidance, even after graduating. Without me asking, when I just graduated from Poly in summer 2019, Dr. Rhonda Richetta [Principal of City Springs] recommended me for BCP’s Silbert Student Support Fund, which provided me with the laptop I use to this day for all my engineering classes, lab reports, computer programming, and essays. This is only one way that the family I formed at City Springs has helped me out later in life. The list goes on and on. I would not change my experience attending City Springs for anything.
The lesson I learned from City Springs that will thread throughout my entire career, service, and life is that I would rather fail at attempting to do something rather than give up halfway through. There were so many people who were talented and smart, but they gave up before they could even see the end results because they were scared to face failure. A loss is only truly a loss if you do not learn from it. My best friend Ray Glasgow III, one of my first friends at City Springs, who passed away in 2018 due to mistaken identity in gun violence, was the perfect embodiment of this. He never gave up no matter how hard a situation might have been, from the classroom to the football or lacrosse field, and every day I tell myself once I start something, it is my responsibility to see it through.
Favorite City Springs Experience:
“My 8th grade year. Besides graduating, I participated in four different extracurriculars: debate, football, wrestling, and drumline. My favorite was wrestling, but the one I was best at would be debating.”
On Choosing Electrical Engineering:
“I first wanted to be a lawyer and go to law school, primarily because I was on the debate team, and I felt like I excelled at it. During 7th and 8th grade, I realized I was not having as much fun as I initially was when I started debating in about the 5th grade, even though I was still winning at tournaments and championships.
When I entered Poly, I took the base engineering classes for the first two years. Once you reach junior year, you have the option to choose science or engineering, and at that point, I was exposed to enough engineering to know I wanted to explore it more. It was not until my junior and senior year that I knew that my fondness for engineering was solidified. All of my classes engaged my mind, and I received an A or B in every engineering class I was taking at that point. Now I am at Morgan State University, entering my last year as an electrical engineering major with a 3.25 GPA.”
On his Goldman Sachs Internship:
“As a Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses student intern, I was assigned to work under Exceed IT and Cybersecurity as a business analyst. Most of my tasks consisted of capture and pipeline management where I graded, researched, and managed government contracts for small businesses that they should pursue. This was not an engineering internship, but I used this as an opportunity to build my resume and become well-versed in the business aspect of life. If I want to have my own business one day, it would be beneficial for me to know not only how government contracting works but how a small business operates as a whole.”
On his Future Impact:
“I do know at some point in my life I hope to be a mentor to the younger generation. I want to show them it is very much possible to overcome the challenges that come with being a first-generation college student and growing up in an underrepresented community and guide them to that same success I will soon achieve.”
Enjoy this article from 2012 when Darren spoke at the Maryland National Philanthropy Day when he was a City Springs student.
