One anti-gun violence advocate, business owner and high school football captain is being heavily recruited by 25 colleges and universities – and he’s only 17. RuQuan Brown has is being courted by schools like Harvard, Yale, Princeton and more, reported CNN.
A senior at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School in Washington, DC, Brown has a 3.9 Grade Point Average (GPA) and helped lead his football team to a state championship.
However, his main passion project is Love1, the apparel and merch company he founded to help combat gun violence. A percentage Love1’s proceeds go into communities affected by gun violence, according to the company’s website.
Brown founded the company after he lost his stepfather Arnelius Howell and a teammate to gun violence.
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“My dad (Howell) was my role model, my hero, my big brother, every role that you could imagine a dad should play, he was that,” Brown told CNN. “When this happened, I knew that I had to start something to end gun violence.”
Love1 also donates money to One Gun Gone, which buys guns back and creates artwork from them.
Now Brown lives with his biological father, Rudolph Brown, who supports all of his endeavors to make the world a safer place.
“I’m beyond proud of my son,” Rudolph Brown told CNN. “RuQuan is the living answer to a father’s prayers. He proudly exemplifies what’s possible when you align faith, hard work, purpose, and passion.”
Wherever he ends up at school, RuQuan is committed to spreading love and kindness to help end gun violence.
“People are not killing each other because guns are available, but because of a lack of love in our hearts, homes, and communities,” RuQuan said.
