If you are familiar with the Mormon religion, you may have heard that young men who practice this faith spend two of their post-high school years on a mission for the church. Recent Woodrow Wilson graduate Brandon Romney will spend the next year preparing for his upcoming mission.
“You have to be 19 to go on a mission, and I am just now 18,” explains Brandon, “so while some people go on their mission right after high school, I will have to wait a whole year before I can go.” Brandon and his family are excited about where this upcoming mission will take him, but the real story here is about where he has already been.
As the oldest child in a family that includes four younger brothers and two younger sisters, Brandon has learned a lot about standing out in a crowd. His scholastic, community service, and athletic achievements in his years at Woodrow are numerous. His outstanding ability as a baseball player earned Brandon the honor of playing at the varsity level as a freshman. He continued as a varsity player during all four years of high school and, for his talent, was awarded a baseball scholarship at Ricks College in Idaho, a junior college affiliated with the Mormon faith.
Brandon also participated in a program known as PALS, which partners outstanding high school students with area elementary school children in a mentoring relationship.
“We worked with the elementary teachers in the classroom, reading to the kids and helping them with their assignments,” says Brandon. “I really enjoyed spending time with the kids, and they really seemed to enjoy it when we were there. PALS is a great program.”
In 1995, Brandon was awarded the honor of Eagle Scout. To earn this distinction, Brandon organized a project to gather and distribute winter clothing for the East Dallas Asian community. His younger brother has followed in his footsteps, recently earning his own Eagle Scout award. Brandon and his brothers are both good friends and good business partners — together they started a successful lawn mowing business. Brandon saved 80% of those earnings to use toward his first year of college.
When Brandon completes his mission, he hopes to transfer to Brigham Young University in Utah. He is an intelligent, hard working, and optimistic young man whose commitment to his family and his faith is readily apparent. In fact, Brandon is so articulate and confident it is hard to remember he is only 18 years old — until he starts talking about leaving home.
“I am struggling between two sets of emotions. I have a lot of sadness when I think about leaving my friends and family,” says Brandon. “But I am definitely excited about my upcoming trip, the new people I will meet and all the new places I will see.”
