Tristan Love

About Tristan

• Grew up in crime- and poverty-stricken neighborhoods in Houston, TX.
• Says his green eyes and lighter complexion made him an outsider and a target in these neighborhoods, which forced him to resort to violence to protect himself.
• Joined a gang at the age of 12—says he was the kid that got into trouble outside of school, but excelled in school: “My conduct wasn’t always on point, but my grades were.”
• He accepted a majority-to-minority transfer that sent him to a predominantly white high school where he felt his chances to succeed were better, but found he still had to defend himself.
• At the end of his first year there, he started a gang riot and his transfer was revoked—he moved across Houston to live with his father to “reinvent himself,” but his gang troubles followed him.
• After a rival gang burned down his house, he thought he’d have to drop out of school to help his family financially—a nonprofit organization stepped in with aid so that he could stay in school.
• He and his friend ended up earning full-ride scholarships to debate at Wiley College—there they joined the second generation of the infamous debate team, “The Great Debaters.”
• After graduation, he worked with Teach for America and is now one of Houston Independent School District’s youngest assistant principals, helping other at-risk students succeed in school and beyond.