BOSTON, MA – As a child, Kyle Gathers thought it was normal to hang around and do drugs in the shabby park areas in Dorchester, Boston. This was because he was used to seeing his uncles and cousins do so and was never reprimanded for doing it.
As he got older, he got used to the streets and became “street smart.” As a teenager, he got tough, cool and smart. He thought of ways to survive, and one of them was to help deal drugs. The money that he receives would often go to his mother and pay the bills.
Ever since some of his relatives were involved in a federal drug raid, he felt powerful. This started when he was nine years old. He thought he was some kind of a celebrity. He thought that people either loved him because of his family’s reputation or they were scared of him.
Gathers was considered to be a seasoned drug dealer and a very prominent gang member in their local area. He had been convicted of extortion, selling illegal drugs and shootings for roughly ten years, including two years in solitary confinement.
At 13, his little sister was shot. Luckily, she survived. However, misfortune had befallen him when his younger was also shot down at the age of 22 years old.
This was the realization for him that he needed to change his life completely or else he’ll die to try. He is also concerned for the welfare of his ten-year-old son. Once he was done in prison, he enrolled in a program named College Bound Dorchester and enrolled in a school.
On May 13, he became the student speaker for the commencement exercises at his graduation at Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology in Boston. He graduated with full marks, magna cum laude, which specializes in air-conditioning, ventilation and heating technology.
Gathers regrets what he did but concentrates on his future that he’s 31. He now knows that there is still hope even if you thought you didn’t have any potential. One of his mantras in life is to “Believe in one’s self.” He never has thought to experience this moment and is very amazed that he is still alive.