Darrell S. Bryant recently discovered that Cleopatra was not the only female Egyptian pharaoh to ever exist. During an interview with Savannah Morning News on Nov. 15, he lit up when talking about Hatshepsut. She ruled after Thutmose II died and her stepson, Thutmose III, could not assume the throne because he was only two or three years old.
Listening to Bryant discuss this historical anecdote highlights a key aspect of his success as a student: Curiosity. The skill has led him, at only 16 years old, to complete requirements to graduate from St. John Academy, this month.
For anyone who knows him, it should not be a surprise that the driven teenager excelled academically. He did pen his first book at the age of 11, after all (the Savannah Morning News profiled him at the time). “The Flower Nerd” is a self-published work that Bryant wrote in response to a news story about a girl in Colorado who was bullied. The book’s back cover says the lesson in its pages is for readers to “not judge people by how they look or what they wear.”
While Bryant had big plans for sequels to the book and other writing projects, his attention eventually turned toward his academics.
Factors of his success
In addition to his own natural curiosity, Bryant’s family has factored heavily into his intellectual advancement.
Bryant’s mother Shyann Brantley would not allow him to skip grades in middle school. She said, while academically mature, Bryant was not ready for the social aspects of being among older peers. Once he entered high school, however, she was open to him testing out of certain subjects. Algebra was one of the first courses he tested out of. He has even gone on to tutor peers in math, some of whom are older than he is. When asked if that ever led to any awkward situations, Bryant said, “They appreciate it.”
His mother appreciates his help, too. She has taught him aspects of her business to keep him busy during school breaks, especially in the summertime. “He don’t work none,” she said. “So, he work for me.”
They laughed but it was clear that helping his mother was yet another learning opportunity for Bryant. Brantley has done a great deal for him, as well.
She enrolled him in the Royce Learning Center’s summer school programs starting the summer before he entered sixth grade. “I didn’t see the benefit of summer camp,” she said. “[Royce] was a structured curriculum-based program and it kept him a year ahead [in school].” Providing that program wasn’t easy as she took on another job to cover the costs.
Credit: Joseph Schwartzburt/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Joseph Schwartzburt/Savannah Morning News
She also enlisted the help of Bryant’s cousin, who is a math academic coach at Savannah-Chatham County Public School System’s (SCCPSS) Beach High School. His cousin started tutoring Bryant in a way that he could understand shortly after he entered high school.
“She also was teaching him the way she taught the teachers,” Brantley said. That caused a bit of an issue with one math teacher who wanted Darrell to show more of his steps toward solutions. They all worked things out, but Brantley said the situation was indicative of many academic situations with Bryant, who regularly scores 100s on his report cards.
“He gets bored,” she said.
Bryant followed up with, “I don’t really think I feel challenged in any other subject besides math.”
World of possibilities
With the guidance of his mother and assistance from family partnered with what appears to be a superhuman ability to focus and retain information, Bryant now has many options for his path forward.
He still loves to write and draw, but engineering is top of mind for college studies. He is still thinking through his options, though. “I like stop-motion animation,” he said. Savannah College of Art and Design is on his list of schools to consider, but he’s leaning toward Georgia Southern (Armstrong Campus) because of the science and engineering curriculum.
He and Brantley plan to work on his applications over the next couple of months and make a final decision soon. She said that he’s been invited to “study abroad in Dubai, Sweden, and Costa Rica,” and that more than 25 colleges ― Mercer, Harvard, Princeton, Yale and Georgetown, among them ― have reached out directly to invite him to visit their campuses. “He has also received 18 direct college admissions,” Brantley said.
While they take the next few months to determine where he’ll be in next fall, he is going to start a course with Savannah Tech. The certification program is focused on aircraft assembly. The opportunity came about after Bryant’s principal was looking into options for him when it was clear he would meet graduation requirements early.
In talking with him, no direct answer for his success presented itself. He had support from family, involved teachers and a keen ability to focus. Above all, he expressed an innate curiosity about the world.
Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at JSchwartzburt@gannett.com.
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