Darian Stephan got to introduce former President Barack Obama before his rally in Milwaukee before the election. “I was like: ‘You want me? Are you serious?’ I didn’t believe it,” Stephan said. “I was in disbelief at first. And then, of course, I was like, ‘yes.’” (Photo provided by the Kamala Harris campaign)
By Sophia Tiedge
This story was originally published by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, where you can find other stories reporting on fifteen city neighborhoods in Milwaukee. Visit milwaukeenns.org.
Darian Stephan got to introduce former President Barack Obama before his rally in Milwaukee before the election. “I was like: ‘You want me? Are you serious?’ I didn’t believe it,” Stephan said. “I was in disbelief at first. And then, of course, I was like, ‘yes.’”
Before Darian Stephan could introduce former President Barack Obama at a rally in Milwaukee on Nov. 2, the crowd erupted into applause.
But Stephan, a senior at Marquette University, said it wasn’t impressing the crowd that was at the forefront of his mind: It was being an inspiration to his family.
When he was 2, his mom died in a car accident, and that same accident left his dad disabled, making it difficult for him to provide for Stephan and his brother.
“A lot of people in my family, even myself, could have chosen a different route, not go to college and maybe ended up in some trouble down the line,” Stephan said.
“A lot of my family members are in jail as well, so I just wanted to be that person in my family to create change.”
A call he will never forget
The day before Obama’s rally, John Daniels III, Stephan’s mentor and president and director of MKE Fellows, got a call from the Kamala Harris campaign looking for someone who was a first-time presidential voter to introduce Obama.
He know the right person for the job.
Stephan was working his shift at Walmart when he got the call from Daniels.
“I was like: ‘You want me? Are you serious?’ I didn’t believe it,” Stephan said. “I was in disbelief at first. And then, of course, I was like, ‘yes.’”
“You know how you dream of something so big and it’s like, I wouldn’t even think that I could dream of something like that,” Stephan said. “And it just came to me, and it fell in my hands.”
Darian’s grandmother Regina Harris (from left), father Anthony Stephan, brother Jackson Stephan, aunt and godmother Sandra Jones and stepmother Evashta Stephan pose with him. (Photo provided by Darian Stephan)
A community cheers
“It was almost as if the audience was full of people who were rooting for him,” recalled Daniels, whose organization MKE Fellows works with universities and corporations to provide support to young African American men to ensure they graduate and are prepared for the workforce.
Daniels said Stephan is someone who encourages others, adding he not only sets an example for other young people but serves as an inspiration to him as well.
“Oftentimes people talk about what they learn from their mentors, but I also think mentors can learn a lot from their mentees,” Daniels said.
Juggling jobs – and school
When he’s not working at Walmart, Stephan also serves as a corporate social responsibility intern for the Milwaukee Bucks; president of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity; and as a student alumni ambassador, in addition to other roles.
He’s always worked two other jobs to help support himself.
“I’ve always . . . heard from other people outside looking in” that “it looks like I’m winning,” Stephan said. “While the whole time inside I’m like, I’m not doing enough.”
The first person in his family to be on track to graduate from college, Stephan said he puts pressure on himself to be the perfect student.
But this school year, he’s trying his best to soak in his college experience before it’s over.
Darian Stephan serves as a corporate social responsibility intern for the Milwaukee Bucks. But he juggles several other activities, including school. (Photo provided by Darian Stephan)
‘A light in every situation’
“He’s a mission-driven individual. Some of the principles that exist at Marquette around faithfulness and service to others, I think he embodies that while never letting go of who he is and how he can be a light in every situation,” Daniels said.
Stephan considers JohnRaé Stowers, director of the Educational Opportunity Program at Marquette, as someone who’s served as a mother-like figure throughout his college career.
She comes from the same neighborhood as Stephan’s family, and she said having similar roots brought them together.
“Darian came in freshman year full of life, high energy,” Stowers said. “It was like: ‘I see you. I see where you’re from. I see where you’re trying to go, and I’m going to help you get there.’”
Stowers said Stephan has come a long way from his first year when she had a swear jar in her office just for him.
She said he’s grown into an articulate, sophisticated and distinguished young man.
“Darian has a heart to give and the passion to serve, but he also has swag,” Stowers said. “He’s a wonderful example to young people. He makes it look cool to do the things he’s doing.”
Looking toward the future
After the Obama rally, Stephan walked out into the crowd and said everyone was congratulating him, even people he’d never met.
But the people he most wanted to see were his family members who came to support him.
“I feel like it’s been inspirational for my younger siblings and my younger cousins, because they see me on that stage and think, ‘I could do that because if he can do it, anyone can do it,’” Stephan said.
After college, Stephan plans to either work for a nonprofit or continue to do corporate responsibility work for a sports team.
He wants to take what he’s learned from his mentors and be that light for others.