Dajuan made a lasting impression on the Dwight community. As co-captain and point guard of the Boys Varsity Basketball team, and as an incredibly hardworking student, Dajuan was devoted to his teammates, his friends, and the Dwight community.

Leaving a Legacy

Joining Dwight in eighth grade, Dajuan quickly made his mark. His most formative memory: a rivalry win against Collegiate. He said, “Getting to hear the crowd support us and support me — I just felt welcomed and loved. I was like, ‘Hey, I’m only in eighth grade, I want to stay at Dwight forever if I can.’”

That beginning set the tone for a remarkable five-year run. Dajuan became the first and only Dwight player to serve as varsity starting point guard for five consecutive seasons. He led the team in scoring for three years, tallied over 1,000 career points, and helped bring home two championships. At the same time, he managed to balance athletics with academics, earning a place on the honor roll and attaining a full IB diploma.

In both athletics and academics, Dajuan made it his mission to support his teammates and peers. David Brown, Head Boys Basketball Coach, said, “Dajuan always put his teammates first. He was far more interested in the team’s success than his own individual accomplishments.” Jonathan Ruelens, his Language and Literature teacher, added, “Dajuan would listen patiently to his peers during a seminar, then bring in a very powerful and unique interjection.”

Dajuan also remembered his socioeconomic background and race being different from most Dwight students. “I remember a very cool guest speaker at one of our assemblies. She said something about how when she crossed the subway on 96th Street, it’s basically like two different worlds and that always stuck with me,” Dajuan said. 

But although he came from a different background, Dajuan said, “Every time I came to Dwight, I felt welcomed.”

The overall cultural diversity of the internationally focused Dwight further contributed to this welcoming atmosphere. “Having to navigate through all the different cultures definitely helped me today as far as being able to communicate and understand people from different environments and backgrounds.”

A Career Built on Care

After graduating, Dajuan attended Bowdoin College, majoring in Digital and Computational Studies and Africana Studies. Of his decision to choose a second major in Africana Studies, he said, “All that coursework was amazing — being able to learn about African American history and dive really deep into it.”

After a year of athletics at Bowdoin, he decided to refocus on academics with the same determination he built on the court. Dajuan developed hobbies such as weightlifting and guitar, building a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

Academically, Dajuan took challenging and thought-provoking courses in departments such as Psychology, Africana Studies, and Government. He enjoyed one Psychology class in particular, titled “Happiness,” as it showed him how human beings thrive and attain joy.

Upon graduating Bowdoin, Dajuan was a Logistics Broker with TQL (Total Quality Logistics). After that, he began his role as a Care Coordinator at Transcom Solutions. Six months later, he was promoted to Dedicated Account Specialist at the same company. Through his work, Dajuan helps people who are injured at work with corporate compensation claims. He manages their transportation and translation services, and ultimately helps them recuperate.

At the same time, athletics remain part of his life. Dajuan is now a basketball coach for children, giving back to the game that he grew up loving — and dominating at Dwight. “It’s definitely a passion of mine,” he said. “My wife has an idea to open up a swim school one day for kids. We always spoke about meshing the swim and basketball thing and kind of making that work for a little academy for kids.”

Adding to His Family

From early on, he held on to a personal mantra: upward mobility. Now, as he and his wife build a family together (their first child, Xuri Bliss, was born last November), Dajuan is more committed than ever to creating a better future for the next generation. “I always stuck to the term ‘upward mobility,’ and I’m sticking with that,” he said, “making it better for those generations to come.”

Leading with empathy and dedicated to lifting others along with him, Dajuan continues to build a future defined by both hard work and heart.