Teacher Teacher –
Apr. 27, 2019 – “It was just a rough patch,” Leaf said. “We’re all flawed human beings trying to be better every single day. Sometimes we forget that when we’re placed on this pedestal. That’s the main thing I try to make them understand, that they’re no better or worse than anyone else, regardless of what you do or how you’re perceived. It just took me a longer, up-and-down journey to find that.”
As he says, it wasn’t until 26 months into his sentence that he found guidance, and it was in the form of his prison roommate — whom Leaf refers to as his “guardian angel” — who told Leaf to help their fellow inmates learn how to read. Leaf’s path from feeling like a god in college to a death wish in prison and then to a life of self-betterment fuels his desire to share his story with others so they can avoid the same mistakes. He now works as an ambassador for Transcend Recovery Community, a group of sober living houses across the country, and he also calls college football games.
When he’s not doing those things, he speaks to as many people as he can, such as the students he addressed Friday. When he walked into the university’s auditorium, he was offered a microphone but declined it. He’s used to this.
