تسليط الضوء على الخريجين دونيلوس كينج

Doneilous King is a prolific public speaker, coach, community organizer, athlete and teacher. Among all his titles and accomplishments, he is most proud of being a Proctor High School alumnus, graduating 25 years ago in 2000. 

شكلت رحلته في المدرسة الثانوية مسار حياته. فقد منحته فرصة للتفكير في التحديات التي واجهها أثناء نشأته في Utica وكذلك الانتصارات (الحقيقية والمجازية) التي شكلت شخصيته. 

"بما أنني نشأت في فقر في Utica الداخلية، يمكنني القول إن المكان الذي تبدأ فيه لا يحدد المكان الذي تنتهي فيه. هناك جانب إيجابي لكل ما نختبره في الحياة، وما يميزنا هو نظرتنا إلى الأمور ونهجنا في التعامل معها. لقد حظيت في حياتي بفرصة التعرف على الكثير من الأشخاص الرائعين الذين جعلوني أشعر بالانتماء، وساعدوني على اكتشاف القوة اللامحدودة الكامنة في داخلي، وساعدوني على إدراك مواهبي، ولذلك أؤمن بأننا جميعًا لدينا هدف في الحياة"، يقول كينغ، متحدثًا عن مسار حياته.

Impressively, King still remembers the names of his teachers and coaches as if it were yesterday. He found a family among his peers and educators in the Utica City School District. “Ralph Lupia was my track coach. He's the best coach that I had in high school. And I used what he taught me for basketball and every other sport. He combined a tough love with an incredible passion, and he was innovative. I remember him going to symposiums and conferences, trying to learn new things. He had a different approach even at the high school level, and it was just amazing to see. He saw something in me and taught me things about myself in terms of trying different things and putting in extra work. He was incredible,” King says. 

Inside the classroom, one math teacher also stands out. “My calculus teacher, Mrs. Dorozynski, was amazing. She had this incredible combination of nurture with a sternness and a no-nonsense approach to getting things done, and then we would always end our classes or tutoring sessions with a smile. And I'm connected with both of those folks today,” King says.

Not every day was a perfect one for this student-athlete. King learned the hard way that discipline and tough love were essential. Serving a suspension once cost him training time for what became one of his proudest achievements: winning the New York State Championship (Class AA) 4x4 relay in track and field. His name remains on the wall at Proctor for that victory. “What that taught me is that you’ve got to follow the rules. Your team relies on you, and you have to do your part. If you work hard, you know you can achieve great things,” King says. 

لم تكن رياضة الجري هي الرياضة الوحيدة التي برع فيها. فقد برع أيضًا في كرة السلة، وحصل على لقب الوصيف في القسم 3. وهو يشجع الطلاب الرياضيين على استكشاف رياضات متعددة. عندما سُئل عن نصيحته للطلاب الرياضيين، أجاب: "حتى تصبح من النخبة، مارس أكبر عدد ممكن من الرياضات. حاولوا أن تكتشفوا ما تحبونه، ولكن اكتشفوا أيضًا ما تجيدونه. وإذا وقعتم في حب إحدى الرياضات أو حققتم نجاحًا فيها، فكرسوا لها أكبر قدر ممكن من الوقت والبحث والتفاني. لدينا جميعًا 24 ساعة في اليوم، ومعظم الشباب يقضون خمس أو ست أو سبع ساعات أمام الشاشة، بينما الرياضيون الجادون يمارسون رفع الأثقال ويدرسون الأفلام. إنهم يعملون على تطوير مهاراتهم، ويدرسون علم النفس الرياضي. ولذلك أصبح هذا الأمر فنًا وعلمًا حقيقيين، حتى في المستويات الأصغر سنًا. إذا لم يأخذوا الأمر على محمل الجد، فسيكون من الصعب عليهم المنافسة"، يقول كينغ. 

This notable alumnus has given back to the community by organizing basketball leagues and academics. He has served as a coach, organizer and mentor. King has given back by organizing basketball-enriched programs like Doneilous King Basketball Academy, Utica City Rocks AAU, and King of Kings Pro-Am. 

His programs, including King of Kings (for men and women) and the Summer Pro-Am for Upstate New York, drew players from as far as Buffalo and New York City. Now retired from coaching, he was most recently the head varsity basketball coach at the Utica Academy of Science, where he coached his son. “We were the first Black head coach, father-son duo for Varsity Basketball in Utica’s history,” he says, treasuring the experience. 

King values teamwork and family. Today, he serves as the Senior Counselor for Educational Opportunity and DEI Specialist at SUNY Polytechnic Institute. He’s also taught as an adjunct professor of sociology. He earned a master’s in sociology from SUNY Polytechnic Institute and a bachelor's in biology from the University at Albany. 

How did he jump from science to sociology, you might ask? “I studied biology at first because I wanted to become a physical therapist. I had a hamstring injury from track and loved physical therapy. I said, this is magic! I want to do this! Later, I combined my knowledge of kinesiology, movement and sports with modifying the human condition. I help people achieve goals physically, mentally and spiritually. It became a holistic approach—mind, body and soul—and that connected to sociology.” 

In college, King discovered he thought like a sociologist before he knew the term. One inspirational professor sparked his interest. “I wanted to know why inner-city neighborhoods were designed the way they were. Growing up, I didn't know if that was just the way that God wanted it to be, or was there something else at play? And what I found out later on, was that some systems are in place that put design in our lives. Sociology is a study of human behavior and interaction. I've been enamored and really just in love with it ever since.” 

In closing, King shares, “I am who I am today: an athlete, father, business owner, educator and a professional because of my family, my community and what Proctor and the Utica City School District did for me. I'm truly thankful to the Utica City School District.”