‘Truly a pivotal point in my life’

Alumni from the Boys Nation Class of 2015 return to this year’s session, sharing their experiences both during and after the program.

William Pugh attended American Legion Boys Nation in 2015. From there, he went on to graduate from Howard University, served as a Research Fellow in the office of Rep. Tim Scott, and now is a vice president at The D.E. Shaw Group, a multinational investment management firm.

He’s also found time to become in the nonprofit sector, serving on the board of Barbershop books, a multi-state nonprofit based in New York City that is focused on inspiring Black boys and other vulnerable children to read for fun through child-centered, culturally responsive and community-based programming.

Pugh was one of a group of Boys Nation Class of 2015 alums who were in Arlington, Va., on July 19 to visit with this year’s Boys Nation senators. And when he talked with one of the senators from South Carolina, where he is from, he found a connection.

Both Pugh and Boys Nation senator Zuriel Nyamutsaka attended the same high school, Academic Magnet High School in North Charleston. Pugh graduated in 2016, while Nyamutsaka will be a senior this fall.

“It’s surreal,” Pugh said of the chance encounter. “Not only meeting one of the two South Carolina boys, but seeing someone from Charleston who also went to my school is really cool.”

A few hours later, Nyamutsaka was still beaming after the meeting. “He asked me where I went to high school, and when I told him Academic Magnet, all of the sudden his face just lights up,” he said. “For me, that’s just such an amazing experience. It’s a source of inspiration to see somebody who walked basically almost the same path that I’m on, who’s now gone on to do so many great things.

“It gives me a sense of pride … know that I have potential to do something great, and that this program will allow me the opportunity to do that. It gave me a new sense of appreciation for Boys Nation and for The American Legion as well. It’s just something that made my day.”

Following lunch, the alums split up into four different groups: those who had chosen a military career, those who went on to practice law, those who chose business and those who went into public service. The groups each held panel discussions that segued into Q&A sessions with the Boys Nation sections.

But before that, 2015 alum Peter Hamilton talked about what being a Boys Nation alumni means. An associate at Torridon Law in Washington, D.C. – a firm that includes among its lawyers two-time U.S. Attorney General Robert Barr, former CIA director and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and former U.S Secretary of Energy Dan R. Brouillette – remembered what his experience was like during his time here 10 years ago.

“When we came here, we were young men with full heads of hair, lots of ambition and a drive to become, all of us, president of the United States,” Hamilton said. “Some of those things may have changed for some of us, but one thing has stayed the same, and that is that the group of men we came with were men of three things. They were men of character, men of competence, and they were men of ambition.

“Every one of you who is here in this room today is here because you are at least one of those three things. And I’ll tell you this: That the first two things are much more important than the third thing.”

While noting how successful professionally the alums present had been, he added they were more successful where it matters the most. “They are the men who are fathers. They are the men who are husbands,” he said. “The men who are, in their day-to-day life, leaders of their communities.

“Boys Nation really is an opportunity, if you allow it, to shape the rest of your life. I know it shaped mine.”

Pugh said it felt like a responsibility to share his experiences during and post-Boys Nation with its current participants.

“This experience was truly a pivotal point in my life,” Pugh said. “I roomed with someone from Wisconsin who turned out to be one of my best friends. We came from different parts of the political spectrum, spent a week together. I talked to him; he talked to me. We’d stay up until 4 o’clock just talking about everything politically, socially and anything in between. That in and of itself was just a phenomenal experience alone. That exposure and learning about other people was transformative.

“Given the fact we all have the benefit of experiencing Boys Nation 10 years ago, being able to come and share what little wisdom we have is the least we can do for these guys. I was super excited about it.”

Boys Nation Assistant Director Corey Brooks said the alums reached out to Boys Nation staff to see about being a part of this year’s session as they celebrated their 10-year anniversary. The connection between every class of Boys Nation senators – and the opportunities that go with that – is something Brooks and his staff reinforce every year to each new class.  

“We tell them every year that they’re joining a brotherhood that spans the nation and also goes back in time,” Brooks said. “That network provides opportunities for mentoring, opportunities to do internships, opportunities to get letters of recommendation, that first job, all sorts of things.

“This direct interaction – the ability to make new friends in areas that you’re interested – is phenomenal. I think we’ve struck gold here.”