Super Bowl Hero Cooper DeJean helps Davis County students celebrate Decision Day

As seniors at Davis County High School announced and celebrated their college and career decisions on May 9, they were cheered on by a Super Bowl champion who just four years ago was in their shoes, ready to embark on the next chapter of his life.

Cooper DeJean, a unanimous All-American at the University of Iowa and defensive back for the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, joined Davis County students in their Decision Day celebration. The day recognized soon-to-be graduates as they announced and committed to their chosen academic and career pathway, whether a two- or four-year college, trade school, certificate or diploma program, apprenticeship, or military entry.

Additional photos from the event are available in our Flickr album.

Thanks to a partnership with Success Bank in Bloomfield, Iowa, DeJean engaged with students, posed for photos, celebrated their upcoming graduation and hosted a half-hour-long Q&A session covering his experiences as a student and professional athlete and providing advice to students.

"The biggest thing is to set goals for yourself and put in the work to achieve those goals," DeJean said. "You can't skip steps, regardless of whether you're tired or don't want to do it. You have to have that willpower in your mind to chase those dreams and do what it takes to get there."

While DeJean's meteoric rise to stardom on the gridiron gave credibility to the advice shared with students, his upbringing and roots in small-town Iowa made it all the more impactful. The Odebolt, Iowa, native shared his experience growing up in a town with a population of less than 1,000 and the opportunities that upbringing creates in cultivating a mindset of working to earn every opportunity.

"We have a lot of student-athletes here as well who are going on to play in college athletics," said Davis County High School counselor Madison Rushing. "So, seeing that somebody from Iowa can go do big things is really cool. He's such a down-to-earth person, and saying that you can do big things, even if you're from a small town in Iowa, is such a great message."

Rushing was one of the architects of the Decision Day celebration that started with the future graduates donning their caps and gowns and marching with DeJean through the hallways of the high school, middle and elementary schools as their classmates and younger students cheered them on.

"I loved walking through the elementary school and seeing a lot of the familiar faces," said Alyssa Rudd, who announced her decision to attend Evangel University and major in biology/pre-med . "I really love the community here, and my mom also works at the school, so that was a really sentimental thing I got to experience."

Davis County is one of many schools across Iowa that utilize similar graduation walks as part of its Decision Day celebration to motivate, encourage and inspire students in all grades to dream about and start planning for their studies and careers after high school.

"Being a former elementary principal, the kids there just love it, and they look up to these graduates that have been great role models for our younger students," said Davis County High School principal Derek Philips. "I've got four kids in elementary school that are going to see this, and I want them to see this is what your hard work does, and this is where your time here ends, and this is where your life really begins."

As the senior class walked between schools, their path was adorned with flags representing every college, apprenticeship, military, trade or workforce path that the approximately 95 members of the graduating class were pursuing.

As their time together as classmates nears its natural conclusion, the day also allowed the class to convene for lunch at a nearby park.

"I think it's been a lot of fun reminiscing on the memories, because most of us have grown up and gone to preschool through 12th grade in this school and it's special to share with the rest of the class where we're going," said Abigail Warning, who plans to attend UNI and study kinesiology.

In addition to sharing their plans with each other, the afternoon's formal Decision Day ceremony saw those students publicly announce their plans to not only classmates and staff, but the same middle and elementary school students they swapped high-fives with earlier in the day, many of whom brought signs in addition to cheers to the event to celebrate.

"They're solidifying their commitment and saying, 'that's my plan' with all of our kids cheering," Rushing said. "To see their role models go across the stage and say, 'I'm going to a community college, or I'm going to the workforce, I'm going to an apprenticeship,' that's a big deal, and those are all big things to celebrate."

However, for Philips, the celebration reflects more than just their decision and commitment to a career pathway. It also recognizes the work and perseverance it took to reach that point.

"This is a culmination of 13 years of hard work for these kids and celebrating what they're doing next," Philips said. "We've got kids going to a four-year university, going right into the workforce, and just a great day to celebrate their hard work. Because it is a lot of work and school is not easy for some of our kids, this has been a huge celebration for them."