D’Angelo Keyes is no stranger to adversity.
As an openly gay, HIV-positive college student, Keyes has faced numerous challenges, including homelessness, but has overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles to succeed in both his academic and professional life, and a local LGBT grantmaking organization recently rewarded him for his accomplishments.
Keyes, a 19-old-year sophomore at the University of the Arts, is the 2009 recipient of the Sapphire Fund’s Tony Sparacino Memorial Scholarship, a $1,000 prize that will assist him in pursuing a degree in vocal performance.
The scholarship, named in honor of the late local businessman who was a tireless advocate for the LGBT and HIV/AIDS communities, recognizes the achievements of local students who have demonstrated a commitment to their studies and to the LGBT community.
Keyes moved to Philadelphia last year from his native Chicago to attend UArts but, upon his arrival, learned the university had mistakenly not assigned him housing.
As a foster child, Keyes was a ward of the state but couldn’t get any funding from the government for housing, so he bounced around from friends’ couches for some time and took a job at a local Popeye’s to earn money to rent living space.
“I had no place to stay so it was really hard for a while,” he said. “I was going to school full-time and then I’d have to leave and go right to work so I could get money to stabilize myself.”
Despite his hectic schedule, Keyes, who learned he was HIV-positive last year, said he was eager to get involved with the local LGBT and HIV/AIDS communities.
Keyes met with representatives of The COLOURS Organization and other area agencies to establish connections within the community, and eventually graduated from the Peer Education Academy within Philadelphia FIGHT’s Youth Health Empowerment Project.
Following his PEA completion, Keyes volunteered for such initiatives as FIGHT’s Youth Summit for AIDS Education Month, and also participated in HIV/AIDS and sexual-health outreach presentations at area youth-service agencies. Keyes also helped to oversee this summer’s LGBT youth internship program spearheaded by a coalition of local LGBT organizations.
Most recently, Keyes went from volunteer to employee, as YHEP hired him as its director’s assistant, a position that allows him to coordinate the agency’s youth-development programs.
Keyes said he thinks his status as an openly gay HIV-positive young man meshes well with his current job, as he’s able to tap into his own experiences to communicate with local youth.
“I think it’s good for someone who’s my age to help educate youth because I feel like I’m more relatable to them and that they can feel comfortable talking with me,” he said. “I’m familiar with the needs of adolescents who are HIV-positive. I can connect with them on a personal level, as well as as a mentor, because I can vouch for their feelings because I went through some of the same things that they’re going through and had a lot of the same emotions they’re having.”
Keyes said HIV-positive youth in the city have very few outlets; thus, he’s hoping to give a voice to this population so its needs can be further identified and met.
“It’s important for me to speak out, because there aren’t many youth who speak out at my age about these issues,” he said. “It’s time for someone my age to be within the community speaking about our needs. We have to have more programs and support groups developed that focus specifically on positive youth.”
Keyes, who was also the 2009 recipient of the Delaware Valley Legacy Fund’s Justin Eng Scholarship, plans to continue his outreach work during and after college, incorporating his other passion — singing — into his career path.
“Right now I’m thinking that I’d like to go into music therapy and be able to use my voice to have a positive impact on adolescents with HIV. I want to explore how music can affect the mental stability of someone who’s positive and how it can benefit them and make them feel better,” said Keyes, who is minoring in music education. “That’s where I want to go because I’d still be helping the community. Music and the youth-intervention work are two different careers, but I think what’s similar and what can bring them together is the dedication that I have to both.”
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].