Deon Clark
Palo Verde Power Plant/Legacy Initiative
Tonopah, AZ USA
"Get ready to become a nerd…because the nerd faces all the same challenges as everyone else, yet the nerd has the strength to defy all the peer pressure, do well in school, and still survive-without the entourage! That's a tough kid!"
Career Roadmap
Deon's work combines: Engineering, Science, and Building Things
See more careers and stories that connect to your interests.
Take Roadmap Quiz
Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General
The New School
Certification
Nuclear/Nuclear Power Technology/Technician
LaSalle Nuclear Generating Station
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
Came from a poor, rough part of Chicago: brother is in prison, sister recently got out.
2.
He made a promise to his mother and to himself that he'd get an education and career; he was a good student, excelled at math.
3.
His older brother went to the Navy, he went to try out as well; had to take a difficult exam that usually wasn't even given to kids in his area.
4.
Figured out a pattern within the test and scored so well that one recruiter assumed he had cheated.
5.
Placed in an 18-month program that would qualify him to operate a nuclear power plant; had to work seven days a week, 15 hours a day.
6.
Was one of only 35 people that made it through; was running a nuclear aircraft carrier, head of a 42-person staff at age 19.
7.
Now he spends much of his time speaking to young students; he tries to dismantle the negative connotation behind the word "nerd."
8.
Tells road-trippers that they'll likely have to break away from everything they know, exit their comfort zone, but it'll be worth it.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from undefined:
How I responded:
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
My brother is currently serving a 285 year prison sentence, my sister just got out of jail, and so for me, remembering where I came from and these battles, that's the thing I made a promise to myself and to my mother: come hell or high water, I will get there.