Who he is…
David Vaughn is a Psychology major at Sinclair Community College who believes in education.
Why he’s
interesting…
After a tragic accident in April of 2010, the life that Vaughn once knew changed completely.
Vaughn was born in Dayton, where he said he started out rough.
“I [detached from] school in third grade, believe it or not,” he said. “I still have no GED or diploma.”
Vaughn explained that because he did not do the things that he was supposed to in school, he was punished. Because of the punishments, it caused him to disconnect.
“My view of school was very bad — I wasn’t a very violent kid or anything, I was just like, ‘you can’t make me [do my work], why do I have to do it’,” he said. “So it made me kind of detach from it.”
According to Vaughn, he felt detached throughout his schooling and withdrew completely at 16.
For most of his life after withdrawing, he worked in construction.
“I learned how to build houses and started framing,” he said. “Eventually I learned how to read blueprints and I started developing; I stuck with that, until a horrific accident three years ago.”
He explained that he had a mitre saw accident in which he sawed his forearm off.
“They had to reattach it all, it went through the bone,” he said. “I have 15 rods (in my forearm).”
The accident ended his career.
Although Vaughn said he’s had hardships in life, he does not see them as setbacks.
“I really learned something there,” he said. “Dr. Harman was the one who put me back together — if he didn’t spend 10 years in college, they would have had to amputate it.”
After his accident, Vaughn saw the true value in education, and felt like it was something he needed to be involved in.
“It’s because of people that dedicate themselves to education and learning and bettering humankind, that I knew it was what I needed to do,” he said.
At first, Vaughn started his journey wanting to pursue broadcasting.
“I found out that I needed a GED, so I came [to Sinclair] to go through the GED program,” he said. “I had been studying for about two months, so I decided to go ahead and take the placement tests to see where I was at.”
Because of his scores on the placement test, Vaughn was able to start at Sinclair.
“I was surprised, really surprised that I scored so high on the placement test,” he said.
After the placement test, Vaughn decided to start taking classes at Sinclair to get an associate degree.
“I am doing things opposite — getting an associate’s before my GED,” he said. “I just have to go take the (GED) test.”
Growing up, Vaughn liked watching informational programs like Discovery and National Geographic. He said looking back, he could see how his passion for education was always present.
“I can’t believe I didn’t see the signs sooner … it’s just funny how the world works.” he said. “You walk a lot of paths that just lead you right back to your beginning onset path, that’s kind of how I look at it; I had to branch out and do a bunch of learning before I could comprehend what was going on.”
Vaughn said he likes Sinclair because he is treated as an equal and does not feel out of place.
“I’ve always felt like an outsider, not with the kids, [but] with the staff and what was expected of me because I’m not an easy person to mold,” he said. “I like the chance to actually learn, be treated as an equal. They didn’t look at who I was, or the image that I have with tattoos looking rough, they only saw what I could be.”
Vaughn also has a passion for neuroscience.
“I honestly believe that people do not understand the actual capability in psychology — I have an autistic son, which is why I want to try and figure out neuroscience,” he said. “Everything is run by the brain — if we can actually figure out how the brain functions, we can isolate and eliminate growth problems, behavioral problems or development problems.”
According to Vaughn, neuroscience can help improve the quality of life.
“There is a biological reason that things happen, that’s my honest opinion,” he said. “Regardless of if it’s stress, or depression, or schizophrenia, or any of these factors — the whole idea is just a better quality of life for anyone.”
Vaughn said although the right path can be obvious in retrospect, it may take a while to see it in the right perspective.
“I think I just chose to do a lot of wrong things (in the past),” he said. “I think a lot of times we choose not to see what’s right in front of us.”
Vaughn’s advice for students is to keep faith alive.
“Keep the hope alive, you know? People don’t really look at it like this, but when people struggle, it’s growth — it’s preparing you for the next step, whatever the next step may be. It’s never over until you give up,” he said. “I’ve learned that through my 33 years of struggle — it’s never over until you just quit and don’t even try. Within failure, there is something to be learned.”