LaSean Lyles Jr. and his mom, Andrea Smith, pose with Mickey Mouse during the Dreamers Academy program Feb. 11-14 at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla. Defender/Rhonda Gillespie
Life has been a bit rough for 18-year-old LaSean Lyles Jr. But for every challenge that he’s faced, he and his mother, Andrea Smith, marvel at how he has managed to overcome. Smith is quick to point out the blessings in her son’s life, including being picked to attend the 2010 Disney Dreamers Academy with Steve Harvey mentoring program. From February 11-14, Lyles joined dozens of other youth from around the nation at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla. to be a part of the special program that brought him up close and personal with a number of standouts from the business, entertainment, sports and other industries. It was all part of a program started by comedian and radio personality Steve Harvey – who then partnered with Disney – that has a mission of helping to inspire youth to not only set goals and dream, but work to achieve and fulfill them. The trip was a long way from home for Lyles and his mother, who live in the Roseland community. But it offered a reminder through remarks from celebrity guests and Disney execs that, despite obstacles, dreams can come true. Singers Mary J. Blige, Ruben Studdard, Kimberly Locke, Yolanda Adams and Trin-i-tee 5:7; celebrities Chef Jeff Henderson and fitness expert Harvey Walden; actors Chris and Kyle Massey and Tamera Mowry; and motivational speaker Jonathan Sprinkles were among the host of industry standouts who offered Lyles and the other Dreamers Academy participants words of encouragement. The youth also partied with R&B “shuffler” Cupid. Lyles listened as all of the big names talked about triumphing over circumstances, something the teen was already familiar with. It was Lyles’ life story – told in an essay his mom submitted – that got him selected to attend the Dreamers Academy. Smith recalled how her son was born with a birth defect in his lungs that left him unable to speak for the first five years of his life. But an elementary school speech teacher took Lyles under his wings, starting with the boy in kindergarten and on through fourth grade, and worked with him until he was able to talk and speak in sentences. “He was God-sent to my son,” she said of Mr. Hinton of Paul Revere school, who has since retired. She told the Defender that her son’s disability led to him being bullied and picked on a lot in school. But Smith, a single parent, drilled in his head that he could make it. “He’s a child that comes from no hope, not being able to blend in with regular kids,” Smith said. But that has changed for Lyles, who has set his sights on living his dreams. A junior at George Henry Corliss High School now and a 6-foot-2 power forward for the basketball team, Lyles hopes to one day get into the NBA. He also played cornerback on the football team. But if he doesn’t quite make it to the NBA, there’s always his second passion: graphic design. “I’m trying to live my dream and get to my highest point,” he said. Lyles could hardly imagine being a part of the Dreamers Academy because sometimes he can’t believe he’s still alive, he told the Defender. “Living on the South Side of Chicago has been rough and hard,” said Lyles. As a freshman at Christian Fenger High School, he was mob attacked multiple times. But there was one altercation at the South Side high school that stands out in his mind. He was jumped by a group of boys who beat him until Lyles was in and out of consciousness. The fight was for “no reason,” the teenager said, and it happened so suddenly that he didn’t know what hit him. In fact, he didn’t know how many people had jumped him but he was later told that it was at least a dozen. The beating “changed my life,” Lyles said. When Smith got the harrowing call from her son that day, it changed hers, too. “As a parent, you see it happening to everybody else and all the other kids and you never think you would be sitting at work and you get a call,” Smith told the Defender. “Everything inside of me dropped.” Smith said she arrived to the school to find her battered son with knots and bruises over him, and his head swollen. She said her son could barely talk to her because he went in and out of consciousness. “That was the most devastating thing a parent could see,” she said. When they arrived at Christ Hospital in southwest suburban Oak Lawn, Smith said tests revealed Lyles had suffered bruised ribs and a concussion. He was out of school for about two weeks. But again, Lyles’ would not give up. He recalled lying in the hospital bed looking up at his distressed mother. He made a promise to her, despite his own pain. “Ma, I’m not ever gone give up,” he said he told her. “They jumped me but they didn’t take my pride.” Smith transferred her son after the beating to a suburban school for a year then appealed to the Chicago Public Schools to get him out of Fenger, his neighborhood school. CPS placed Lyles at Corliss. Smith still fears for his safety. Safe passage to and from school is often a source of contention for Lyles and a nagging concern for his mother. “I’m terrified everyday. Everyday you’re praying to God that you don’t get another phone call, that nothing happens,” Smith said. The teen, who is involved in video production at his church and is not allowed to hang out, said he’s been approached at his school by three different gangs who were trying to recruit him. But the football and basketball fanatic, and B-honor roll student, said he’s just simply not intrigued by that lifestyle. “Gangs can get you two things, killed or in jail, and I’m not trying to do (either) one of them,” Lyles said. Attending the Dreamers Academy marked at least two firsts for the mother an son. It was their first trip to Disney World and their first time on an airplane. “We both were terrified on the plane ride,” Smith said, laughing. But the experience was one they won’t soon forget. “It’s been a true blessing,” Lyles said of being a part of the Dreamers Academy. He learned that “one dream can lead to another.” Being picked from thousands of applicants to be a part of the program was more than a golden opportunity for Lyles, his mother said. “It was a sign from God to say that my son could make it, he still had hope,” she said. Smith said her son deserved to be selected. “He’s a good kid,” she said.