Brandon DeVante Whiteside, a Young Man with a Plan

Brandon Whiteside will be attending DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana.

by Sarah Williams

Brandon Whiteside is a young man with a plan. The son of David Whiteside and Tania W. Newborn, grandson of Nathaniel and Harriet Ray, he is blessed with a supportive family that goes along with his personal strengths.

Many, some would say most, young people do not grasp the concepts of success early enough, and some of them, even at a very young age, are lost. Others, not yet lost but still struggling to find their way, have not reached the rank of reflective thinkers. And then there are those whose minds have opened to accept the teachings that will guide them as they travel the highway of success — and that’s the group Brandon Whiteside belongs to.

He is a mild mannered young man who has pushed himself academically and athletically to impressive heights. In 2009 he represented Asheville High School as an ambassador and exchange student to Copenhagen, Denmark. When asked what sticks out in his mind about the experience, he stated, “I was surprised to see so many minorities living in Copenhagen. The scenery was beautiful, and the homes looked simple but were elaborate inside.” The people embraced him from the beginning, which helped him to reach a comfort level.

In 2008 Brandon was fortunate to be able to work on then-Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, joining with other Asheville High juniors and seniors in deciding to get involved. When it became known that Senator Obama would appear at Asheville High School’s Memorial Stadium, Brandon was considered for the honorable task of introducing him to the Asheville public. Unfortunately, he was considered to young for that prestigious task, but he says, “I was impressed and moved by Senator Obama’s ability to articulate his visions for this country.”

This remarkable young man is also an awesome athlete, performing as starting quarterback for Asheville High School’s varsity football team. He broke three school football records in the 2009 season against Franklin: career passing leader (3,515) yards; career passing leader with most touchdowns in a game (5) and most yards thrown in a single game (344).

Most recently, motivation for his participation was his family’s history of cancer, he participated in ESPN’s First Take – Relay for Life. First his grandfather developed cancer, and then his sister was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Two years after his sister had gone into remission his mother, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Through his participation in Relay for Life, Brandon raised $5,000 for cancer research.

Brandon has also earned such prestigious awards as the Gene Hammonds Baseball Award (2010), the Judson R. Porter Memorial Service Award (2010), and Lou Fogle Coach’s Award (2010), all for athletic excellence. As a scholar and leader, he has won the Martin Luther King, Jr. Youth Award (2010), the Michael Wellisch Leadership Award (2010), and the Aspire Scholar Award (2007-2010). During this school year he was the only African American male at Asheville High School in the National Honor Society — until two more African American males, perhaps inspired by his example, were inducted in May 2010.

Fluent in three languages, Brandon is an honor student who has earned a full scholarship to DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, a private liberal arts college. He will be a pre-med major whose goal is to become a general surgeon.