Education alumnus grows community at Ben Davis High School

KOKOMO, Ind. -Growing up in poverty, Brayton Mendenhall remembers going to school with his shoes taped together, carrying a homemade lunch with ingredients his family could afford.

"I was made fun of carrying an Aldi bag before Aldi was cool," he said. "I look back on that and I'm not bitter or upset because I was able to take the lessons I learned from that life and find a way to improve my outcome and hold on to those lessons."

Mendenhall, B.S. '11, leaned on a 21^st Century Scholars award, and support from advisor Catherine Barnes and the Indiana University Kokomo librarians to complete a bachelor's degree in education. He's now assistant principal of instruction and student life at Ben Davis High School, part of the Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township in Indianapolis.

"I had resources from the 21^st Century Scholarship, and that was my in," he said. "I wouldn't have been able to afford college otherwise. That was really what made it possible for me."

The 21^st Century Scholarship pays up to 100 percent of tuition at Indiana public colleges and part of the tuition at private or independent colleges for students whose families meet income guidelines.

As a first-generation student, college was challenging.

"My parents didn't know how to support me," he said. "They were proud of me, but in terms of applying for financial aid, and applying for scholarships or registering for classes, they didn't know about that. Catherine Barnes had a huge impact, helping me learn to register for classes, how to fill out financial aid paperwork. She empowered me to learn how to do it, and my last two years, I knew how to do it. If I hadn't known how to register for classes, I would have dropped out."

Being in smaller classes with professors he could get to know also impacted him.

"I remember having great conversations with my professors, and being able to really dig into my passions. They pushed me to think in different ways," Mendenhall said, adding that he was part of a club for students in secondary math, English, social studies, and health education.

He also spent a great deal of time in the campus library.

"I had a real passion for hanging out in the stacks," he said. "I went in there a lot, and the library staff knew me and what I was interested in. They knew what kinds of books I liked and would bring me new ones. My time at the library was really important to me when I was at IU Kokomo."

He also credits Ann Cameron, one of his English faculty, with teaching him how to think for himself, and how to teach others to do the same.

"The way she conducted Socratic seminars, the way she coached us to create our own learning, is something I still use today," Mendenhall said. "You ask 'Why do you think that? Have you thought about it from this perspective?' There's no wrong answer. It's getting people to think about why they are thinking what they are, and is there another perspective to consider. It gave me a thirst for knowledge. I wanted to know more."

He taught French at South Vermillion High School near Terre Haute for a year before joining the faculty at Ben Davis High School, where he was a top 10 finalist for Indiana Teacher of the Year in 2022. He completed a Master of Education from IU Indianapolis in 2023, a program he enrolled in to learn what goes into the administrative decision-making process.

"I was always a huge teacher advocate," Mendenhall said. "I wanted to know more about educational law and financing. It was eye-opening to understand from an administrative perspective, not just a teacher's perspective."

That degree gave him the opportunity to continue impacting students as an assistant principal. He works with instructors to help them improve their teaching, and collaborates with student leaders to improve student activities and provide opportunities for belonging at a high school with more than 3,000 students.

"I get to work with students in a different way, but I still get to teach," he said. "In the role I'm in now, my sphere of influence is much bigger, and I get to help more people. If I can help a teacher be a better teacher, I've had influence on all that teacher's classes. Working with students, we're considering how we can get more opportunities for students to participate, so they can say 'I'm a Giant,' not 'I'm a student at Ben Davis.'"

His future goals include being a high school principal - especially at Ben Davis.

"I'd like to be a principal at a school like Ben Davis one day," he said. "I'd like to be involved in an urban, suburban, metropolitan school where I can encourage collaboration and community and grow that aspect of the school. I would love to be a Giant for life.

"I'm fulfilled by helping others become better professionally," he continued. "That would be the ultimate for me, to be the leader of a building, to have my teachers and students feel like they are part of a community."

Chancellor Mark Canada said he's proud of Mendenhall's tenacity and persistence.

"He's a shining example of what a 21st Century Scholar can achieve," Canada said. "I'm also proud of the personal experience that IU Kokomo delivered to him, helping him to thrive."

Education is KEY at Indiana University Kokomo.