Washoe Country School District
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Gerry Drew's Profile
Damonte Ranch Student Makes Dramatic Comeback to Graduation
Student: Gerry Drew
School: Damonte Ranch High School
By the time Gerry Drew entered the seventh grade, he thought school wasn’t for him. At 11 years old, Gerry neglected his homework, often got into fights and was suspended from school on a number of occasions. The trend continued through middle school and Gerry’s first year at Damonte Ranch High School, leaving him with only three credits after his freshman year. When his senior year rolled around, Gerry only had 12 of the required credits to graduate.
But now, at the end of that year, the young man is preparing to receive his diploma along with the rest of his fellow classmates as he graduates in June.
“I thought school was nothing – just second-rate,” he said. “I thought I’d still be able to do everything I wanted to.”
Although Gerry managed to gather a few credits during his first few years of high school, mainly to stay eligible for football, he was still far behind to get his diploma. While teachers would often tell him he was smart, Gerry would disregard it, being disappointed that he could no longer participate in sports.
Everything changed, however, when Gerry became a junior. When he became 16, Gerry began thinking about his future more often. He was an aspiring psychologist and realized that good grades were for more than playing sports; they would help him with his career as well. While his teacher’s encouragements once seemed like white noise, their words seemed to take on a new meaning. In his second semester as a junior, Gerry achieved a 3.0 grade point average.
“My teachers told me that I could do better,” Gerry said. “They motivated me to do what I needed. I didn’t realize how important it was. You can’t do anything without school. I needed that extra push, but at first everyone just said, ‘Whatever’ or ‘He’s a screw-up.’ It really came into play later.”
Still with only 12 credits heading into his senior year, Gerry was certain he wasn’t going to make it.
“I thought I wasn’t going to be able to graduate,” he said. “But I realized that I could be what I wanted to be. My teachers helped me with it. It took time to realize, but I could do it.”
Gerry’s hard work continued throughout senior year. In addition to making graduation, Gerry also achieved perfect attendance, a feat that is especially uncommon in high schools nowadays.
“Perfect attendance is important to me,” he said. “It proves I can do it and that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.”
After graduation, Gerry said he plans on attending Truckee Meadows Community College and eventually transferring to the University of Nevada, Reno, where he will study psychology.
“I want to help people,” Gerry said. “I like to talk people through things. I’ve been through a lot. I’ve gone through what they have and I want to help people.”
