University City High School senior Glen Casey, father of a 16-month-old girl, will be attending Temple University in the fall.
Credit: Claire CohenAt his high school, Glen Casey is a celebrity.
In the halls of University City High School — a school at which many Penn students volunteer and which will be closing at the end of the year — almost every staff or student greets the senior by name as he walks after school. Underclassmen girls’ faces light up when they talk to him. As student body vice president and mentor within the Student Success Center, many cite Casey as a major role model.
But it wasn’t always that way.
Student Success Center coordinator Patrice Berry first noticed Casey his freshman year, because he was “rambunctious” in the hallways. Casey’s 11th and 12th grade math teacher, Eros Uthman, reflected that Casey was often thrown out of classes that year.
“During my ninth grade year I was in a lot of trouble — I surrounded myself around bad company, so it didn’t help me much,” Casey said. “I made a lot of bad decisions.”
Today, Casey will attend Temple University in the fall, and hopes to transfer to Penn his sophomore year.
“I will use my college education to create better conditions in my neighborhood, and make an impact on the individuals who reside in the midst of the disarray I see,” he writes. His essay, submitted for a $10,000 WyzAnt college scholarship, currently has 4,210 votes on the website and has gone viral over social media.
Casey began working harder his sophomore year, when he was placed in an accelerated program to help students regain freshman year credits. That year, Casey’s English teacher, Mr. Casey — no relation to Glen — encouraged him to begin thinking about his future.
“In 10th grade I wanted to be good but I was still rough around the edges,” Casey reflected.
The July before his junior year, Casey was still considering his attitude towards schoolwork when he heard news that changed his life.
He was going to be a father.
“[The pregnancy] sealed the deal,” Casey said. “It made sure everything was going to happen, I knew right then that I wasn’t just working for myself.”
During his junior year Casey maintained a 4.0 grade point average. By chance, he also became involved with leadership positions at UCHS.
Casey’s name was accidentally placed on a list of seniors to attend a Hampton University presentation on scholarships for their school. Though he wasn’t officially invited, Casey still asked to attend.
Berry, the event organizer, once again noticed Casey when he asked the representative about graduation rates. He later discussed graduation rates with delegates after noting that Hampton University’s graduation rate — about 60 percent — wasn’t very good.
“He’s been impressive since. He hasn’t taken a day off from that,” Berry said.
After the presentation, Berry recommended Casey for UCHS’ Leaders of Change internship program. Casey began working with his peers by joining Peer Group Connections and the Student Success Center Leadership Academy. The programs ease the transition from middle to high school and help with college and career readiness.
Working with his peers sparked Casey’s passion for politics and education. As a potential political science major and urban studies minor, he hopes to encourage people to change their lives as he did.
“A lot of people in power right now can’t relate to us because they don’t face the same disadvantages that we do,” Casey said. “I can relate to people that need help the most.”
This spring he was accepted into 10 colleges, including Drexel University and La Salle University where he was offered a full scholarship. Post college, Casey hopes to join Teach for America and then work in educational policy to foster prosperity in underprivileged communities. He hopes that his success will help him provide the best for his daughter, who is now 16 months old and lives with him.
“He’s determined to succeed and he’s not going to let any obstacle stand in his way,” Uthman said. “I see him just changing the world.”
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