Lamar Danley, 2024 Aspire Leaders Program alum passionate about educational advocacy and inspiring others, overcame financial barriers to fulfill his dream of making it to university. After graduating from Howard University in 2023, he began work full-time as a consultant. Today, he balances multiple responsibilities. This includes contracting for Aspire Institute on U.S. engagement and starting his own initiative called First Gen First. As he prepares for law school, Danley channels his experience as a first-generation college student into helping others navigate similar challenges and advocating for systemic change in education and law.
Fourth Grade Dreams Meet Financial Reality
By third or fourth grade, Danley already knew he wanted to attend college. He was in a gifted and talented program and invited to various conferences and opportunities. This early exposure to college professors and research papers excited him. But, he learned early on that he would have to navigate this path financially.
“My Mom had a very important conversation with me about being able to afford college,” he admitted. “So when I was thinking about college, I had to always understand that I couldn’t afford it.” This conversation happened in fourth grade, giving him an early start on finding pathways to achieve his goal.
His motivation didn’t stem from a specific career goal by many but really a desire to learn.
“I’ve wanted to go to college so much that it wasn’t even a specific major. I wanted to go just because I wanted to go.”
This led him to make strategic choices throughout high school.
“I joined band because someone told me tuba would pay for college [and] took phlebotomy classes at an early age, because I thought this will be something I could use as a funding resource,” he explained. “I did all those things with this hope that I would get to college one day.”
Choosing a University With Personal Development in Mind
Danley became a Questbridge scholar, providing the opportunity to receive a scholarship at top universities and Ivy League Schools. However, he set his sights on Howard University instead. After joining a Howard group chat in 2019, he realized this school could be a great next step.
“I was talking to people that were clearly smarter than me, who knew more about Black history, who knew more about what it means to be a black person,” he said. “It inspired me to be around those people to where I wouldn’t be the smartest in the room.”
Coming from a small town where others often labeled him as the intelligent kid, Danley wanted a different experience in the next phase of his educational journey. His exposure to Howard University first came through a unique opportunity in ninth grade when his school funded a trip to Washington, D.C.
“It was the first time I actually got to see a bigger city,” he said.
He had received invitations to other conferences and events in other cities but never had the money to attend. These exposures to Howard University motivated him to choose this path forward if he could. He had always focused on the funding opportunities. Now, he had the chance to think about the best next step for himself at this point in his life.
“Once I got the funding opportunities, it was a decision of who I am and what college will take me from the person I was in high school and mature me and make me more well-rounded for the world,” he explained. “I thought my own personal growth was worth a lot more than just a degree.”
Finding Mentors, Communities, and His Voice
At Howard, Danley found mentors and communities who shaped his academic and personal growth. He went from feeling unsure of whether this was the right fit to realizing the uniqueness of the Howard community.
Prior to college, he had a very influential mentor from his high school, Miss Menace. She had integrated his high school and taught since the 1970s.
“She made sure that we read traditional books and that her class wasn’t structured around standardized testing. Her class was structured around critical thinking,” he remembered.
She helped him excel in reading and writing on the ACT and navigate his college essays.
“She really made me care about education in a way that I don’t think I would have cared before.”
At Howard, Danley joined Alpha Kappa Psi (AKPsi), a business fraternity, and Phi Beta Sigma, a fraternity founded by African-American males in 1914 – both of which developed different aspects of his leadership.
“I joined Sigma as well, which grew a different part of me, not just professionalism, but also being a black male and leadership as well, because that’s a different dynamic,” he said.
Before finding these opportunities and embracing being out of his comfort zone to achieve the goal he always had of developing himself personally and professionally, he felt a sense of imposter syndrome.
“I remembered writing that I don’t belong here. Many people grew up in different finances, so they grew a lot quicker into this Washington professionalism circle,” he admitted. Despite these initial doubts, he thanks Howard for helping him achieve his dream of growing authentically into the confident man he is today.
Building a Global Perspective Through the Aspire Leaders Program
As Danley approached graduation, he realized he needed to expand beyond his current networks.
“I got very stuck in the Washington bubble [and] the Howard bubble. I wanted to expand my reach across different platforms and cultures,” he said.
He appreciated the Aspire Leaders Program’s focus on professional development, leadership development, and gaining a global perspective.
“I realized that leadership has not one form,” he said, noting how the program helped him develop soft skills and change his perspective.
He particularly valued the masterclasses on emerging technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
“I really loved some of the pieces about AI, and I thought it was nice to understand how AI forms in different countries,” he explained.
As someone interested in policy, he sees AI quickly becoming a civil rights issue due to bias and ethical implications.
Now working with Aspire Institute beyond completing the program, Danley appreciates the startup environment that gives him ownership of projects while supporting his passion for educational equity.
Showcasing Honest Journeys And Continuing His Passion for Educational Equity Through His Initiative, First Gen First
Danley had a passion for equity and justice within education from a young age. This evolved from writing a blog in high school to various speaking engagements in 2022 and 2023. He had the chance to speak at Atlantic Magazine’s Education Summit and for an event with The Hill Magazine, focusing on Generation Z and what they need to realize their potential. Now, he has launched his own initiative with the hope that he can continue to advocate for equity and inspire others.
“I’ve always wanted a site to think about what mentorship can do and how to give access to people,” he explained. “People supported me that didn’t support other people or people supported me with the hope that me, branded as this intelligent person will go and succeed, while also sometimes demonizing other children.”
Now balancing his full-time work with preparing for the LSAT, he has officially launched First Gen First, his own platform focused on authentic mentorship and representation. The initiative stems from this recognition that many children don’t receive support he was fortunate to have – and therefore lack hope.
“I’ve graduated, I have this access,” he described. “People ask me how I’m getting into these rooms. People ask me how I’m getting to know these people; so, I can be a bridge for people.”
His platform showcases stories of people from diverse backgrounds – not shying away from the challenges they faced to get where they are today.
“I wanted my platform to show authenticity,” he said. “I wanted people to be like, I struggled, wanted to drop out, wanted to leave. Yet, I am still here.”
This approach addresses what he sees as a gap: showing the real struggle and journey of mentors and successful people.
“They don’t speak about how these people got there,” he explained. “I think that doesn’t inspire anybody who’s been through real struggle.”
Law as an Avenue for Representation and Securing Rights
Danley hopes his next step involves law school, where he plans to focus on constitutional law. Motivated by a few factors, he hopes to address what he sees as critical needs in an evolving American society.
“We need more people that have legal knowledge, because right now it’s a battle of intellectualism, it’s a battle of knowledge,” he expressed about the current state of the U.S. “In exchange for anti-intellectualism, we’re giving up a sense of freedom.”
Initially interested in educational law, he shifted toward constitutional law after recognizing broader implications and how he hopes to make an impact.
“We need more people willing to interpret the law in a way that’s beneficial for all people, and it has to be one that’s representative of America,” he said. “So, who better to do it than a person like me?”
Add color to your story when you talk to people. Don’t leave out any details, because everything you do has importance and that’s the beauty of our own individual stories.
His motivation also stems from deeply personal roots and a feeling of being an inspiration for others with similar backgrounds.
“I feel once you’re branded as someone who has to lead the torch, you can’t drop it just because you’re tired,” he expressed. “You can’t drop it because it takes too long. You have to continue to lead it until you can pass it off.”
As a black male from rural Arkansas who grew up in a low-income household, Danley feels a sense of urgency.
“If people don’t know how to analyze the law and advocate, we’re going to lose a lot of our rights,” he said bluntly.
Advice for Other Emerging Leaders and a Commitment to the Future of Others
As a young leader himself, Danley offers inspiring guidance for others navigating similar journeys, reflecting on his journey so far.
“Confidence speaks louder than fear,” he said. “If you’re confident, people will notice.”
Equally important involves learning from every experience, regardless of how small or unrelated it might seem.
“Take something from everything. Your journey has importance, but it can only be as important as what you take from it,” he advised. “Add color to your story when you talk to people. Don’t leave out any details, because everything you do has importance and that’s the beauty of our own individual stories.”
Danley continues to align his work, advocacy, and future plans around a central mission of expanding access and representation. Whether through his platform, his work with Aspire Institute, or his future legal career, he remains committed to ensuring that others have the opportunities and support that helped him succeed.
“All children deserve a chance,” he said. “We’ll all be supporting each other for this fight, so I’m excited.”
