Darnell Gibson of Aurora has a binder full of certificates, recognitions, awards, and letters from all sorts of local agencies, community groups and institutions -- all acknowledging different aspects of his professional and personal integrity. However, when asked which accomplishment he’s most proud of, Gibson points to a letter written by one of his former high school students.

As he contemplates this letter, written by a young man whose life Gibson helped to turn around, a wide smile spreads across his face when he recounts their first meeting when the young man was in fifth grade and Gibson invited him to join him and his two sons in shooting basketball at a local park. Their paths continued to cross as Gibson became his coach and teacher, and a mentoring relationship blossomed between them. The young man, who came from a single-parent home, is now ready to graduate from Cowley College in Arkansas City, Kansas, and credits Gibson’s role in his life as helping him “continue his dream.”

His dream, and the dreams of many young men and women have been assisted by Gibson both in his capacity as Career and Technical Coordinator at East Aurora High School (EAHS), a position which he has held since 1995, and as a neighborhood “dad” to many young people in the community -- including his own five children.

Gibson’s effective means of mentoring young people and his top-notch professional dossier combined to convince Waubonsee Community College’s Board of Trustees to name him Featured Alumnus for the month of March.

“In my work and in my private life, I do a lot of mentoring – personal, career, you name it,” said Gibson. “I work to motivate as many people as I can to continue to improve themselves through personal growth and education.”

His ‘Personal Vision Statement of Education’ outlines the merger he sees between education and personal mentoring. As Gibson writes: “I feel that the primary concern or purpose of education should be to develop the uniqueness of individual students…to provide a framework of knowledge for the students so that their minds can be formulated and begin to translate information for further use in their communities. Education should provide learning for the whole child centering its attention for the needs and interests of every student and the opportunity for students to attain the basic knowledge necessary to understand the real world of work.”

He continues that the purpose of education should also be “to provide each student with assistance in his/her journey toward self-realization, so that they can be productive citizens in society and contribute to the future of our country.”

In addition to his work as Career and Technical coordinator at EAHS, Gibson also serves as the Educational Technology department chair and as the basketball coach.

He works with vocational grants, is a steering committee representative for VALEES, teaches industrial cooperative education and oversees the Bright Futures class at EAHS as well. The Bright Futures program is a motivational class for repeat students to encourage them to overcome obstacles and realize a brighter future for themselves.

Gibson is also active in organizing job shadowing activities for students, work-based learning activities, and arranges for guest speakers and field trips which reinforce his work in vocational technology.

“The most rewarding aspect about my job is being in a position to make a difference in kids’ lives,” said Gibson. “And, I love it when they write back to me after they’ve moved on to their next step in life.”

Gibson earned his associate in applied science degree from Waubonsee in Industrial Arts in 1978, and made the Dean’s List that year as well. He went on to work at Bell Labs for a time, then returned to school to earn a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Technology and Secondary Education from Northern Illinois University in 1982, and a master’s degree in Education Leadership from Aurora University in 1998. He plans to pursue his Ph.D. in educational administration in the near future.

“I try to lead by example for my own family members too, as far as education goes. I see it affecting my children as they have all so far pursued college degrees, and some of my nephews and nieces have as well,” said Gibson. “I was the only one in my family to go to college, and now I see it having a positive effect on my children and my sibling’s children.”

During his time in school, Gibson taught in the vocational department at the Illinois Youth Center for Elgin Community College, which named him Teacher of the Year in 1988. He was also awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by the Kane County Sheriff’s Department for his community service, and was named Outstanding Illinois Educator by the Regional Superintendent of Schools. Gibson’s community involvement includes his work with the Men of Unity/Rights of Passage, a group that partners with Aurora Township Office to provide mentorships for children in the community. He also is a member of the Well-Rounded Associates, another mentoring and youth program, and is active with summer youth basketball clinics within the City of Aurora. Gibson has fond memories as a student at Waubonsee; playing on the conference-winning basketball team for two years, working in the library, and he remembers the instructors and counselors who motivated him on his way.

“I tell kids now to not give up, no matter what,” said Gibson. “When I get older, I don’t want to look back and regret that I didn’t do what was important to me. I stress that all young people make goals and work toward them, one step at a time.”

“I say if they have dreams, they need to follow them. You don’t want to say ‘I should have’ or ‘I would have’,” he adds.

Gibson said that part of his strength comes from the motivation he received from his mother, who raised 11 children on her own and who is now confined to a nursing home. Physically she faces many challenges, yet she is still spiritually strong.

“I give my accomplishments to God who has guided me and who has worked with me during the toughest times,” said Gibson.

He counts among his accomplishments the fact that he experienced the plight of a single parent for four years before bringing his lovely wife, Yvonne, into their family.

Part of the legacy Darnell Gibson will have to look back upon is illustrated in the last lines of the letter written by the young man he mentored, “I remember Coach Gibson as a surrogate father to me…He was a very big piece of the puzzle of my life.”

That’s Darnell Gibson, changing lives, one at a time.