When Damon Wooten, ’26, entered high school, academic success seemed out of reach. With a GPA of just 1.2 at the end of his freshman year at Ansonia High School, he faced serious challenges that put his future in question.
But that same year, something life-changing happened. Wooten joined Little BroSE (Brotherhood of Scholarship and Excellence), a mentoring program launched in partnership with Southern Connecticut State University to support young men of color in achieving personal and academic success. With the encouragement of Ansonia High School Principal Paul Giansanti and the guidance of mentors from BroSE, Wooten found a renewed sense of purpose.
“I worked alongside some of the best people I’ve ever met, some of the most inspirational men I’ve ever met,” Wooten said. “I don’t think that without Little BroSE I would have been able to see as much of where I can go.”
“He had leadership, he had natural wit about him, and that really helped move him to the next step,” Giansanti said. “I think it was finally just a mentor that he needed.”
On campus, Wooten serves as event coordinator for BROSE, is a former Farnham Hall Council president, and is a brother of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. Off campus, he returns to Ansonia High to mentor students in the very program that helped him turn his life around.
For Wooten, who plans to become a therapist and mentor for youth in the DCF system, the impact of BroSE is clear. “All these men in this program are great leaders, and they’re going to do great things,” he said.
Read more about Damon’s journey in this WFSB feature: Great Kids: Ansonia student overcomes challenges with mentoring program
