20 under 40: RENALDO RUCKER

Favorite quote or saying, why?

“I do not want merely to possess a faith, I want a faith that possesses me.” – Charles Kingsley

My goal is to be the best man that I can possibly be. In my senior year at San Jose State University, in 2002, I learned what my true purpose was. At that point, I also learned how to be a better follower of Christ. “He must become greater, I must become less.” This Bible quote from John 3:30 helped me learn how to work with my ego and pride. It helped me become a better listener and follower. It wasn’t about what I wanted but about what was needed of me to accomplish for my new born daughter and the community around me. So, once I learned what my purpose was (my new sport), I had to learn how to play the game. The reason I did well in sports coming up was because I was coachable. I could embody the message of my coaches and execute the game plan.

The first part of understanding this game plan was understanding the game. The first rule of the game is losing. I had to lose myself. In the book of Matthew 16:25 it says, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”

This was a hard pill to swallow because I had become accustomed to winning and being flashy. As a 22-year-old man my ego was at another level. I contained it well and tried to remain humble, but underneath it all I was still making decisions based on my selfish desires. Once I learned how to let my faith possess me I started to experience a joy that I would have never imagined.

Community or professional highlights:

Being a young CEO was very motivating. I ran an entertainment company for five years. The experience provided many opportunities to connect with others and learn what my true purpose was. This led to me becoming a full-time teacher in 2009.

Not ever imagining I would become a teacher, I didn’t have a full out plan. But dedicating my life to help produce the best environment for our youth led me to the following:

• High School Special Education Teacher
• 2009 and 2012 Varsity DB Coach at PJHS
• Black Student Union (BSU) Advisor at TDHS and now at GDHS
• Advocates for Justice (AFJ) Member since 2013
• Boys & Girls Club of Stanislaus County Board Member since 2013
• Adviser of GDHS BSU Club of the Year for state of CA, 2016
• United Black Student Unions of California (UBSUC) Regional Board Member since 2014
• UBSUC State Board President and Central Region President since 2015/16
• High School Entrepreneurship Teacher since 2016

There are too many highlights within my professional and community career to list. I’ve been a part of taking students to professional sporting events such as taking 25 students to see the Golden State Warriors play at Oracle Arena. This past year we took over 30 students to Google Headquarters in Mountain View. Taking students to Court Watch in San Francisco is always a highlight. At the top of this list is exposing students to colleges and universities. I’ve taken students to over a dozen colleges throughout the state of California.

The most exciting part of what I do is continuously working with students, after they graduate high school and college, on important community issues. To see their selflessness is inspiring.

Your life changed when:

God was introduced in my life at an early age by my mother, Sharon Rucker, and Sister James. I still use that same Bible with my young penmanship written inside. It was hard answering this question because there are so many moments that have helped keep me on the right track. It can only be explained by allowing God to work in me.

Having such a talented younger brother, Reginald J. Rucker, born into my family when I was 3 ½ years old was life changing. I was given the privilege to have this little fellow follow me everywhere and look up to me constantly. He inspired me to be my best.

Seventh grade year in the Bay Area, my science teacher (Mrs. Molina) rewarded me with a trip to UC Berkeley for getting top score on a test. Me and a few other students got to see a UC Berkeley vs. UCLA football game. After the home team won the game I was able to run around on the turf and shake a big ol’ lineman’s taped-up-hand. At that moment, I knew for sure that I wanted to go to college.

Coach Sevick approaching me after I quit the football team, before ever playing an actual game my junior year, was a life changer. My parents had just grounded me after I had gotten caught up with some neighborhood activities. Coach reaching out to me prevented me from going down the wrong path. My close friends, Rick Gonzalez and Jason McCoy, dragging me out to play that year was huge as well.

I could go on and on. When my daughter was born. Ultimately, being born into the Rucker family was life changing. I embrace that I couldn’t have been born into a better family.

What do you want people to know most about you?

That I belong to wonderful organizations and teams. I want people to know that I’m an ultimate team player and that I’m honored to be in the position that I’m in to give back, to educate, and to provide.

Most importantly, I want people to know that I couldn’t do what I’m doing without Christ. I’ve been through some extremely difficult trials and tribulations. It would have been impossible for me to get through without that guiding hand to keep me on the right path or help get me off the wrong one.

I also want people to know that I love my daughter to the moon and back, and then back again. We were joking around the other day and she reminded me about how much joy she has brought to me. I want fathers to know that I wouldn’t have found so much joy in my own life if I hadn’t prioritized my responsibility to my daughter. Once I did that, everything else fell in place.

To my students, I want them to know that without them, there would be no Mr. Rucker. There would be no entrepreneurship class if there wasn’t a demand for it. There would be no BSU if they didn’t want it. So, I want them to know that I do what I do for them.

To my family and friends, I want them to know how much I appreciate all their support and guidance. My grandma Leadoris just passed away late last year and she passed on such a spectacular legacy.

Although I feel I embrace my blessings to the fullest, at 38 I’m starting to get exhausted. I want us to collaborate and be more united with each other so we can create the most nurturing environment for our youth and community.

What do you like most about living here?

The opportunity. There’s so many different directions we can go with building up our community. That direction hasn’t been established yet because we’re still developing. This provides an energy to help be a part of defining what it means to be from Modesto. Even though I have strong ties to the Bay Area and Cincinnati, I do call Modesto home. It was nice going to my Johansen High School reunion the other day. I was fortunate to be a part of an amazing class of individuals. I hope that all students can find their passions here in Modesto and share those success with their friends and family right here in Modesto, as I’m able to.

Modesto has and outstanding bunch of community members, which includes our youth. Working alongside these community members helps me maintain my appreciation for living in Modesto. My younger brother goes hard for Modesto, as some as you many know. This passion of his also encourages me to want to stay rooted here.

Lastly, I appreciate the family that my daughter has here. I wasn’t able to grow up in an environment with my grandparents, uncles, aunties, and cousins living around the corner. I could never run into them by chance. Nor was I able to just get up and go visit them whenever I wanted. It’s nice to see that experience through the eyes of my daughter.

Why is community involvement important?:

Community involvement is important because, “If not you, then who?” I heard a mentor of mine quote this at one of the many community events I’ve attend. I’ve always looked around and thought, ‘why’? How come nobody else is doing anything about what’s happening on our “Home Turf.” I would hope that within your home you would take care of it and treat it, and everyone in it, with the utmost respect.

I plead, for those who exemplify what respect and humbleness is, please share this with others. We know that many of us hoard our resources. One of those resources is mentorship. We may not give financially but let’s do a better job sharing our experiences. Let’s encourage those, who should, to become better mentors. As a community, we are like the human body, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” This quote from 1 Corinthians 12:26 stays close to my heart. We never know how our experiences with others will impact them down the road. It’s our job to create as many impactful opportunities for our community as we possibly can, especially for our youth.

They see what’s going on more so today than ever in our history. We can no longer have “our domestic disputes” behind closed doors. Everything is coming to the light. What I hope that our students see is how much we care for each other. They must understand the duty of caring because in a few years they will be in charge. We don’t want them leading from a place of hate and with a closed mind.

So please get involved. Helping others is therapeutic and life enhancing.

See you on the playing field!

This story was originally published August 24, 2017 at 10:28 AM with the headline "20 under 40: RENALDO RUCKER."