When I first met Tay Anderson, he was hurrying into the main office of Manual High School to make an announcement on the school intercom notifying his fellow students when and where their student leadership meeting would be held. As it turns out, Tay was planning to meet with me for his student interview and lead a student leadership meeting – all during his lunch hour. Needless to say, Tay is an impressive student.
Tay is a junior at Manual High School and is currently the president of the entire student body, which is typically a leadership position for a senior student. Not only is Tay a member of the Student Board of Education, he is also a junior member of ROTC and chooses to involve himself in various leadership development programs. This past July, Tay was sworn in as the President of Denver’s first Youth City Council. For the first seven weeks of the school year, Tay participated with a group of his peers in a challenge inspired by many of Denver’s community leaders—Challenge 5280. His team was challenged by Kaiser Perma
nente to improve behavioral health for students. Read more about the event here. In December, Tay was also involved in the Think It Up competition at George Washington High School where groups of students were challenged to create projects and compete for funding to assist in their projects’ efforts. This April, Tay looks forward to attending a national youth leader’s conference for the Governor’s Council in Washington DC.
Tay’s favorite subject at Manual is history. He mentioned that his history teacher inspires him to be a better student and that Tay sees his teacher as his future self. When he is not studying or involved in various leadership programs, Tay works a part time job and enjoys listening to music.
When he grows up, Tay would like to be a politician. His plan is to stay local in Denver and intern for Mayor Hancock, whom he has met on several occasions. To Tay, making a difference is the main goal, and politics is how he thinks he can best make his dream come true. Being a student at DPS has taught Tay to believe in himself and realize that he can do anything he puts his mind to if he works hard enough. Growing up, Tay talked about not having a father figure. Because of this, he is driven by his motivation to set a better example for his future kids so that they can have an educated father figure to learn and grow from.
School wasn’t always easy for Tay. He admitted that before coming to Manual, he was in with the wrong crowd and not doing well in class. Tay first transferred to PREP Academy where he was able to realize his potential and grow personally through making positive choices. When he transferred to Manual High School, his life completely changed. He realized he had teachers that motivated him and didn’t allow him to take the easy way out. He is grateful for the teachers like Michael Beins and Eric Posey that saw potential in him and pushed him to do more. Tay talked about Manual High School Principal Nick Dawkins making an impact on him by showing the students that they are “all bigger than their own stories.” Tay spoke highly of Tony Pigford, Student Voice & Leadership Coordinator at DPS, and said he is like a “father figure” to him. He added that Tony is someone he “can look up to and get good advice and guidance” from. Without the outstanding teachers and school leadership, Tay said he would not be the student that he is today.
Want to be a part of making a difference in the lives of students like Tay? Click here to Raise Your Hand for DPS students and see what more you can do to get involved in creating a brighter future for Denver children.