About Ezekiel Rabb

Growing up in Southeast San Diego, California is tough for young Black males. There are very limited pathways to success. Without programs, we face problems. The following is a personal story about a Black boy with his head in the clouds who overcame the pitfalls of death, a prescribed identity, and found himself. Unexpectedly, through recovery, community service, and even earning his pilot’s license, he developed resilience. He learned that youth die young in “America’s Finest City.”

He buried three loved ones during the same holiday. His cousin was shot. His teammate was shot. His friend was shot. Knowing the limited opportunities for success, Zeke thoughtfully chose to put his energy into football, which he played since the 6th grade.

Zeke knows that life is about perseverance and improvisation. Since elementary school, football was his passion and allowed him to demonstrate strength and agility, mentally and physically. Zeke’s injury impacted him in many ways. He experienced memory problems, sleep deprivation, constant headaches, and light sensitivity, all of which affected him for over a year. He spiraled into depression. The experience of a life-threatening injury required him to evaluate his priorities and strengths.

This opened up his time to explore other interests, activities, and hobbies, including Blue Heart.

Zeke’s recovery process was difficult but he learned valuable lessons about his identity. Most notably, he realized that he is not only a football player, but also an advanced-level scholar. He also learned he has an affinity for science and coding. During his healing process he reflected on life. While recovering, Zeke also learned he has a love for coding. Through an eight-month course at University of California, San Diego, he learned how to create applications for iPhones using Xcode and Swift. Zeke also learned the core fundamentals of coding, and that his easygoing, patient and collaborative personality is the perfect compliment to computer engineering careers.

Another part of Zeke’s core identity and principles as a Black male began to emerge as he began to engage in Blue Heart’s volunteer service. Zeke’s love for service to others was sparked after his mentor invited him to volunteer at Sharia’s Closet, a community closet that provides clothes to people who are unsheltered. Another Blue Heart volunteer experience, with the National Society of Black Engineers, resulted in an internship that not only taught him how to write pseudo code, but also access to a network of African American specialists in the STEAM careers. Zeke joined The Blue Heart Foundation full time, and since his first volunteer experience freshman year, Zeke has contributed over 500 hours of community service, which has helped him to find meaning and joy in life.

This is a common story but a personal one for me. My name is Ezekeial, and my close friends call me “Zeke.”

Zeke is like many young Black males in Southeast San Diego, California, and across the United States: powerful beyond imagination with limitless potential. Zeke’s cousin, Deashan, his friend, Michael, and his football teammate, Bobby, did not make it. This is a common story but a personal one for me. My name is Ezekeial, and my closest friends call me “Zeke.” My background is relevant and meaningful to my identity as a Black man in America seeking to thrive and make a meaningful contribution to society.

My vision for the future is safe cyberspace. Upon completing my undergraduate and advanced degrees, I will create my own malware business to protect companies and corporations. I look forward to building upon the foundation that Blue Heart has created for me as a young man.