The Sharing the Joys of Construction Essay Competition was created by EDiS Company in 2021 for Delaware trade and vocational high school students to shine a spotlight on the positive impact diversity has in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry during Black History Month. Students wrote about individuals or companies who have inspired them or have had a positive impact on the built environment. First place junior Nasir Williams, second place freshman India Motley, and third place junior Gabrielle Smith won $750, $500, and $250 respectively. Sussex Technical High School runner up is senior Tyler Keyek, winning $100, and the POLYTECH High School runner up is Sarina Forston, winning $100. Each winner had their owner sponsor teacher who won $100 to use in their classrooms.
Grade: 11 School: St. Georges Vocational Technical High School
Sponsor Teacher: Ms. Anna Mitchel
Darren
An African American tradesperson that has influenced my life is my talented cousin Darren. He’s passed on the joy of construction to me by showing me how he applies his skills to every aspect of his life. He’s given me perspective when it comes to being your own boss as well as being Black and a business owner at the same time. I’ve seen him work on many occasions and I’ve gotten to work with him a few times as well. Working with him has shown me a multitude of things and I’m still learning from him to this day. He’s an incredible carpenter and general contractor with who I’m extremely grateful to have gotten the opportunity to work alongside. I’m also very proud to be related to someone who’s so dedicated to their work and the improvement of their skills.
My cousin Darren, similar to the rest of my family on my mother’s side, was born in Guyana to Rudy Percival and Donnett Morgan on September 19th, 1987. He spend the first 11 years of his life there, then he moved to the U.S. and finished his schooling. When he was younger he aspired to be a pilot but realized during college that there would be many obstacles on his path, particularly at the time, money. It was while he was working part-time in construction to pay for college that he realized his love for the trade and dropped out to dedicate all his focus to his craft. That part-time work was also how he entered his field of construction. He went to Apex Technical School to better hone his abilities and in 2015 he started his own business, DP Home Remodeling, which he singlehandedly runs to this day.
He uses a lot of the skills necessary for his business in his everyday life. One example of this is time management. To run a business you have to adhere to a schedule and a routine, something he’s been doing for years. When asked, he stated that a huge part of his routine is spending time with his two sons Nicolas and Nathaniel. He says he makes sure that he’s the first face they see in the morning and the last face they see at night. In Guyana, family is extremely important to the culture, and Darren takes this very seriously by passing down his wisdom to his sons so they can start their lives on the best foot possible. He balances his family life with his business incredibly well and it’s very impressive to witness. He’s shown me some of the many important parts of running a business and has given me some of the tools that I’ll need in the future if I ever want to run my own business, but even if I don’t the skills he’s passed down to me can be applied to any aspect of my life and career. The joy he gets from owning his own business and being his own boss is something I aspire to have in the future.
Similar to how he’s inspired me, Darren has had some people in his life that inspired him to go into construction as well. Two of the main people he noted were his uncle Junior Percival and his grandfather Vibert Fiffy. These two Black men have not only shown him that a career in the field of construction is possible but that it’s possible for him as a Black man to prosper in that field as well. He’s taken these positive Black male influences in his life and paid it forward by being a positive Black male influence in the lives of many others, like me and the young men in his community. He helps them both develop these lifelong skills as well as apply them to actual jobs that he also helps them acquire.
He’s proven himself to be a pillar in his community in the ways that he passes wisdom and knowledge down to the young people who will then grow up to become carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and other vital construction trades for our society. Seeing him be a successful Black man running his own business gives me the inspiration that I need to becoams the successful Black woman that I know I can be. My cousin Darren is a major inspiration to me and the other young black kids in his community to engage not only in construction but in owning a business as well. He’s an example that higher education isn’t the only avenue to take when aspiring to be successful in life. He’s given me and many others the direction and means to be as successful as we can be. And that is the true joy that he’s passed down to me.
