One Hope, One Dream

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BRANDON ROBERTS ’99

Dr. Brandon Roberts ’99 was born and raised in Akron. He attended Akron City schools until eighth grade and enrolled at Western Reserve Academy for two years before transferring to Hoban. His journey has recently brought him back to Akron to work at Akron Children’s Hospital as a pediatric anesthesiologist. While working in a service-oriented capacity, he considers his calling by God to be much more than his profession. Roberts lives out the Holy Cross values, especially discipline, family and excellence, to be an example to others in his everyday life.

As a Hoban student, Roberts played football and baseball. He credits Hoban for setting his foundation. Academically, he was prepared for the next level, and athletics taught him how to lead and be part of a team. Roberts was accepted and enrolled at Washington University in St. Louis, a well-known and prestigious institution. As a freshman student-athlete on the football team, Roberts thrived, earning a 4.0 his first semester as a biomedical engineer student.

One of Roberts proudest achievements occurred during his senior year at Washington. In 2002, he received the William V. Campbell Trophy, more commonly referred to as the Academic Heisman Award. Presented by the National Football Foundation, this esteemed award is given to the American college football player with the best combination of academics, community service and on-field performance. Roberts is the first and only recipient to attend a non-Division I university. As such, he is among some of the most academically and athletically elite to play college football, including Peyton Manning and Tim Tebow.

After earning his engineering degree in St. Louis, Roberts returned to Northeast Ohio to attend Case Western Reserve School of Medicine. He then completed four years of residency and a oneyear fellowship at his alma mater in St. Louis. In 2013, Roberts joined the medical staff at Dayton Children’s Hospital, where he and his family lived for seven years. In July 2020, he had the opportunity to again return to his hometown – an offer to be closer to family that he and his wife could not refuse. While Roberts has dedicated his life’s work to the service of others as a physician, he does not confine his service to his profession. Service was instilled in him at an early age by his parents and continued to be emphasized as a Hoban Knight. At each stage of his journey, he has made helping those in need a priority. As a college student, he volunteered both as an elementary school tutor and as a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. He is still in contact with his mentee more than 20 years later. In medical school, he volunteered at the Free Medical Clinic of Greater Cleveland and East Cleveland Jail Diversion Program. While in Dayton, he led his church’s men’s group, served as a deacon and taught Sunday school. He also volunteered with the Montgomery County Juvenile Court Reclaiming Futures Program.

Moving back to Akron during the pandemic has made it challenging to volunteer. Roberts and his wife are determined to instill a love of service in their two children. For Roberts, it’s important to remember that service can and should look different to each of us. It is certainly volunteering at a local shelter, but it is also holding the door for a person behind you. These small acts of kindness show the mark of a person by how they treat others. Even small acts can be done with love and intentionality to help those around you.

It is by no mistake that Roberts has accomplished so much. He lives his life based on four basic principles: love God, display honor to all, help those in need and build a legacy. The discipline with which he commits to all he does is best expressed in one of his favorite quotes: “Study while others are sleeping. Decide while others are delaying. Prepare while others are daydreaming. Begin while others are procrastinating. Work while others are wishing. Save while others are wasting. Listen while others are talking. Smile while others are frowning. Persist while others are quitting.” – William Ward

RHEA BOYD ’02

Dr. Rhea Boyd, Class of 2002, lives a life of Christian service, modeling the Holy Cross core values. As a pediatrician, she works clinically in an urgent care facility in California and has leveraged her position as a physician to make a much larger impact on her community and the communities around her. Her unyielding passion for equality, justice and healthcare connect underserved, marginalized populations with access to information, resources and care.

Growing up in West Akron, Boyd witnessed inequality first-hand, at school and in her neighborhood. From an early age, she noted the resource imbalance and racial segregation in her community. She questioned why some people had nice things and others did not. Those early realizations and questions would continue to guide Boyd throughout her educational and professional journey.

While at Hoban, Boyd was an engaged, active student. She played volleyball, basketball and ran track, and was active in student government. Those early experiences helped her learn discipline and teamwork – skills that are core to a life of service. She also quickly developed an affinity for science. She remembers how her excitement and passion for medicine were ignited in her AP biology course at Hoban.

After graduation, Boyd attended the University of Notre Dame, graduating cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Africana studies and health. It was during her college years that she further explored her questions about racial inequality and determined to use her love of science to make an impact. While an undergraduate student, Boyd wrote for the student newspaper about racism in America. In 2010, Boyd received a medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and completed her residency in pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. She was part of the Pediatric Leadership for the Underserved residency, which trains pediatricians to provide healthcare for children from marginalized backgrounds. In 2017, Boyd completed a Master of Public Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

While in residency, Boyd learned an important recipe for success. She learned that success is when you find something you enjoy and have a natural affinity for that meets a great need in the world. This recipe has propelled her to serve others in a variety of ways. Beyond her clinical position, Boyd has been deeply involved in her local community, state and national organizations to do what she loves while meeting the needs of others.

Three years ago, Boyd was named the director of equity and justice for the California Children’s Trust. This state-wide organization works to advance mental health access for children and youth across California through policy and systems reform. For the past four years, she has served as the chief medical officer of 2-1-1 San Diego, which connects low-income families and individuals with social services.

One of her proudest accomplishments has been co-developing THE CONVERSATION: Between Us, About Us. In partnership with the Kaiser Family Foundation, Black Coalition Against COVID and Unidos US, this online resource brings credible information about the COVID vaccines directly to Black, Latinx and Spanish-speaking communities because these communities are often underserved by the US healthcare system. The site, in which Boyd has several short videos to answer healthcare concerns about the vaccine, has more than 100 million views.

Beyond her service-oriented mission, Boyd is also a published author. As a young pediatrician, she created a blog to discuss the relationship between structural racism, inequality and health. Her writings have been published in the New York Times, The Hill, The Nation, NBC News and TIME Magazine, to name a few. While she considers the most meaningful impact she has is during one-on-one conversations with parents, helping them make decisions about the healthcare of their children, her voice and her message inspiring hope, integrity, inclusiveness, option for the poor and zeal have been heard by millions worldwide.