Distinguished Gentleman of the Month: Yamill Acevedo

2^nd Lieutenant Acevedo in  U.S. Army Yamill Acevedo
Age: 23 years old
Hometown: Dallas, TX
 Criminal Justice, minor in Military Science
Stephen F. Austin Alumnus '17
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc
Lumberjack Cultural Association

Yamill Alejandro Acevedo 

1     1. What does "Distinguished Gentleman" mean to you?    

 A Distinguished Gentleman means helping others; put others before you; giving back to those who helped you and keep God first in all aspects of life. You should strive to be the best that you do no matter what and be there for your loved ones. You need to have the mindset to change the world for the better, overcome every obstacle possible and not give up in life so easily.

2. What is your brand and how did you get started? (If you do not have a brand, you could talk about moves you’ve made to make a difference in your community, job/career, etc and how it has helped you)

My brand is being me. I mentored high school students so that they can know that no matter where you come from you can be better than your circumstances. We need to reach them while they are young and show them that the world is not against them. Sometimes, we may have to help them to strive for the best and not give up in life, especially since they may be surrounded by negative influences. The thing about being successful in your life is understanding that it is  not where you start, it's where you end. 

2nd Lt. Acevedo representing Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. 

As a man and a minority, we should write our own history; it’s not about your skin color. Don’t let no one dictate your story by your skin color, tell your own story. I mentored elementary school children for a year (fatherless youth) and talked to them about not becoming a statistic. 

Growing up,  I personally know how that hurts and how much a kid needs man in his life to show him the way and keep him out of trouble, that's why I want to make a difference.

  I have been serving in the military since early 2014 and decided to go into ROTC to not only better my future but show that a minority can become an officer in the army and influence young men like myself. 

 3.       What is your dream goal and how do you plan on achieving it?

My dream goal is to change the world for the better. Change one person individually and effect one person at a time. I believe in giving back to those that have helped me. You can overcome your past with time and patience and the right tools. Don’t be narrow minded because you failed at something, perfect your craft so that you can be great. 

4.  Name a moment that you feel helped shape you into the young man that you are today.

Yamill holding his newborn son, Karter. 

The moment when my son was born helped shape me into a stronger person. God changed my life and I had to realize that it's time to be an adult and be the protector now that I have a little one. It’s such a personal moment for me and when I saw my son, how he looked like me, I knew that it was going to impact me. Knowing that I didn’t have any biological father in my life, I knew my son needed a security blanket (that’s what I am to him) . Not a lot of minority males have strong, father figures in their life and if he wants to grow up to be like me, I need to be that positive influence in his life. I don't want him to go through life not knowing what a man should be and what a good father is. 

3        5. Name a person (dead or alive) that you look up to & why?

My grandpa is someone that I admire. He came from nothing and made a living with whatever he had. He would always do stuff for his friends and go out of his way to be a helping hand.  He was a people person, problem solver and a hardworking man that did what he had to do for his family.

You can do one favor for him and he would do a thousand for you because he was just that grateful.

He had a pig farm and make pork for holidays, sometimes he would sell his food for free or cheaper to people who really needed it. That man really impacted my life; when he passed away, I could see where his absence felt. I feel like I lost a part of me. I aspire to be half the man he was.

3    6. When it comes to being a man, what do you feel should be the three core values that a gentleman should uphold?

         

Acevedo holding the Puerto Rican flag, embracing his Boricua heritage. 

      1.“Being spiritual and sticking to your values.”

2.       “being truthful with yourself and being truthful with others.”

3.       “have a heart for others----have a heart for the right reasons---deeply love what you do and what you stand for.”

7.     What is a quote that live by and how do you live up to it?

“An iron sharpen an iron, so does another man sharpen another man”.

I live by it by putting my friends and loved ones in a position where they can strive and be successful.

People come up to me who I haven’t seen in a long time expressing how I influence them and have made them proud. It means a lot to me. People are actually relying on me, so me graduating is them making it too.

I don’t want to be successful and my friends aren’t. We can come together and be a family that is successful together.

Sometimes we clash but at the end of the day, we are still there for one another. I will go out of the way for my loved ones. 

8. Piece of advice that you would give to young men of color who do not believe in themselves or lack role models?

“Don’t be so quick to not believe in yourself. You know you better than yourself. You need to find something that represents you."

Yes racism exists and they are in our workplace,  we have to work hard to overcome it, even if it seems inevitable. 

 God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers. You can never let the devil win. When you are depressed, you are committing spiritual and emotional suicide. When you kill yourself on the inside, its like walking around with no soul. Let God be your mentor and guide you, put your problems in his hands.

 I opened my eyes and made myself stop thinking that God would put me in certain situations and not help me. All the life changing experiences, it made me realize that there is actually a God. As a minority, we live in a world where racism is told that it doesn’t exist, but we know that’s not the truth. When they look at your resume, they don’t look at your race but credentials. At the end of the day, they can’t deny you. If they deny you, that should put you in position that motivates you. If they deny you, that means that wasn't destined by God to be yours. So I keep it pushing and find something that accepts me for who I am and represent and I can then pave the way for others to do the same.