During Black History Month, The Hub is spotlighting former students of Dallas ISD in our Legacy of Learning series.
The memories you make and some of the friends you make will stay with you for a long time, so make some good ones! ~Nicholas Rivers
Tell us about your journey as a Dallas ISD student.
My journey with Dallas ISD was sort of complicated. My family moved around a lot within the DFW metroplex, so I attended multiple Dallas ISD campuses. However, my journey began at a small elementary school in Oak Cliff named T. D. Marshall. Later, I attended middle school at William B. Travis Academy/Vanguard for the Academically Talented and Gifted, and ended at Skyline High School, where I graduated in 2009.
Who was one of your most influential teachers in Dallas ISD, and why?
Throughout my journey with Dallas ISD, I have encountered many influential teachers, coaches, and mentors, a few of whom have had a major impact on my life and helped mold me into the adult I am today. One was my sixth grade math teacher, and although her name seems to elude me, I can recall the kindness she continuously showed me, and the fondness she had for me and my abilities to excel in math.
She pushed me to push myself and encouraged me to take my abilities in math to new heights, such as joining the “mathletes” and competing in different UIL math competitions around the city. She helped me see that I was capable of a lot more than I thought I was, which gave me the confidence to try new things and helped me realize that anything was attainable.
How did your Dallas ISD education influence who you are today?
Going to school in Dallas SD helped me become very cultured, down to earth, and driven. There was a very big emphasis on punctuality, meeting deadlines, completing projects, and just overall “handling your business,” which in my opinion, are the essential tools every adult needs to be successful and functional in today’s society. Also, with Dallas ISD being so culturally diverse, I have developed social skills necessary to communicate in a professional setting and interact with different types of people.
What school activities did you participate in, and how have they impacted your life?
In my earlier years, I participated in academic UIL competitions, such as math, science and reading. I remember being super excited to do the egg drop competitions every year, and loved creating different apparatuses out of only toothpicks and glue. A spark of creativity opened up in me, as I began to try to sculpt and create things in my spare time at home, and also it ignited my artistic journey.
As I grew older and more capable, I began my athletic journey, joining the basketball team, football team, and even soccer team at one point. Participation in sports taught me self-discipline and self-care, showing me the limits of my body and what it was capable of, as well as teaching me restraint, good sportsmanship, and how to work cohesively with others as a part of a team to achieve a common goal.
Walk us through some of your achievements since graduating and what you’re up to today.
Upon graduating from Skyline High School, I attended Kilgore College on an athletic football scholarship, and played football for a short period of time until an injury. Then I joined the workforce, where I eventually found my passion for the culinary arts. My love for culinary arts had first started at Chili’s, where I worked in high school as a fry cook. I quickly moved up the ranks and learned the whole kitchen operation within a year.
I went to The Joule Hotel in downtown Dallas, where I met a very influential executive chef who introduced me to many culinary techniques and showed me how to operate within a professional, five-star kitchen. I then went to a more corporate, industrial kitchen where I honed my knife skills–having to perfectly chop hundreds of pounds of carrots, potatoes and assorted vegetables a day. I also learned how to operate various industrial kitchen appliances and mastered different forms of batch cooking, giving me the know-how to cook gourmet meals for large numbers of people.
From there I went back to Chili’s as a manager, where I learned how to run a restaurant. This included learning how to order food, maintain a marginal food cost and labor cost, and all- around leadership skills.
All of these experiences have led me to where I am today, the culinary assistant–soon to be sous chef–at Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse. However, my journey is far from over, as I still have much more to learn in this field that is ever growing and ever changing! I eventually plan to become a private chef, build my own brand, and start a fine dining establishment.
You have a legacy within Dallas ISD. Tell us about your familial legacy.
Most of my family members attended Dallas ISD or have worked for Dallas ISD. I have three siblings who all attended Dallas ISD schools and are living amazing lives and doing great things!
My brother honed his bass guitar skills in the School of Science and Engineering jazz band, has played professionally with such artists as Erykah Badu, Chrisette Michele and more, and is currently a Dallas ISD music teacher. One of my sisters attended Harry Stone Montessori, and my other sister attended Travis Vanguard and Skyline High School with me, and is currently a Dallas ISD middle school English teacher.
Also, my dad graduated from Skyline, my mom graduated from Health Magnet, my aunt graduated from Health Magnet, is a powerhouse in the educational community and has been a teacher and administrator in Dallas ISD, and my other aunt graduated from Law Magnet and is a public relations mogul. So one can say that Dallas ISD is in my blood!
What words of wisdom can you offer a Dallas ISD student now walking the school hallways that you once walked?
Stay focused!
Soak up all the knowledge you can, use all of the tools you’re given, take advantage of the wisdom that all of the wonderful staff, teachers, and coaches have to offer, join as many programs and clubs as you can because you never know what may spark your interest or where life may take you.
And take school seriously because how you conduct yourself in school will be a segue to how you conduct yourself in life and in everyday society. But, most of all, have fun, and enjoy every moment!
Sample Rivers’ culinary style at Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse in Plano, Texas.
