Houston, TX - Pro-Vision Academy

Fortune McDonald

Learning Center Director

Email: fmcdonald@usdreamacademy.org

Fortune McDonald serves as the Center Director at the U.S. Dream Academy Learning Center at ProVision Academy—our newest site in Houston. A passionate youth development leader, Fortune previously led our Foster Elementary Learning Center and brings experience as a youth minister, mentor, and program developer, including his original SEL initiative, Empowerment Through Poetry.

Fortune was first drawn to U.S. Dream Academy during an in-person visit to the Houston Learning Center. Seeing the joy, freedom, and impact the team had on students, he knew he had found a place where he could meaningfully contribute to the Academy’s mission. He’s excited to continue that work at ProVision, building new relationships and helping DreamKids thrive.

Dipen Bhakta

Co-Area Leader

Email: dbhakta@usdreamacademy.org

In 1999 Dipen and his family moved to Houston, TX, to the Third Ward neighborhood. Little did he know that the Houston Learning Center opened in his community in 2002 when he was in the 7th grade.  While a student at the University of Houston Dipen desired to become closer to the community he grew up in.  In 2008, he became a mentor for the U.S. Dream Academy that was located not far from his university. 

This started him on his journey from a volunteer mentor to leading the expansion of Dream Academy in Houston.    In 2013, after successfully mentoring for five years, Dipen was given the opportunity to be the Program Coordinator at the Learning Center at Foster Elementary School. A role he says would eventually shape his understanding of Youth Development.  With much support from his colleague and mentor, Walter Hull, Dipen took the position of Center Director in 2015. 

Leading the expansion, Dipen and his co-leader Walter have expanded from one learning center to three along with the development of a new youth-led violence reduction project called the Scott Street Youth Initiative.  Dipen focuses on high quality collaborations with various community based programs and universities across the City of Houston and implements and oversees research-based quality programming methods to support the Learning Center Directors and staff at the various sites in Houston.

Walter Hull

Co-Area Leader

Email: whull@usdreamacademy.org

Over the past 13 years, Walter Hull has become a rising Social Artist, Thought Leader, and Youth Development Strategist in Houston, TX. Through his work with the U.S. Dream Academy, a national mentoring organization dedicated to improving neighborhoods that have been harmed by mass incarceration, Walter has helped shape the organization's approach to community asset building through mentoring.

As an artist, his choreography has deep roots in social justice stories in the black community that he refers to as his Village Responsibility. As Executive Director of Urban Souls Dance Company, Walter has founded the URBAN Kids and URBAN Girls Initiative that mentors youth through the art of dance. He has also created artist development workshops in Kigali, Rwanda, geared towards providing space for youth artists to develop as leaders in their communities.

Today, Walter continues his work with the U.S. Dream Academy Houston and enjoys collaborating with organizations to tell their story, support their youth voice, and facilitate mentoring training.

Jermaine Patterson

Mentor Coordinator

Email: jpatterson@usdreamacademy.org

Jermaine Patterson is a highly accomplished professional with a diverse background. Over a decade ago, he worked as a Mentor Coordinator at the U.S. Dream Academy, where he introduced innovative and nurturing mentoring techniques that significantly impacted many lives. This role was a turning point in his career, paving the way for his successful journey in various fields. After leaving the Dream Academy, Patterson ventured into entrepreneurship, where he excelled in fitness, photographic kiosk offerings, and real estate.

Jermaine's return to youth development integrates his vast professional experiences with his deep passion for mentorship. He emphasizes the therapeutic aspects of mentoring, recognizing the mutual benefits for mentors, mentees, and the community.