Politics, Theology, Criminal Justice Among Yale Grad's Ambitions

<p>The expectations for Herron Gaston are rather lofty among his mentors at Yale Divinity School.</p><p>"We just all the time talk about him being the governor of Florida," said Dale Peterson, dean of students at the school. "When you say it, you're joking but you can sort of see this could really happen."</p><p>Gaston, who graduated from Yale Divinity School last week, makes no secret of his aspiration to become Florida's top elected official some day. At 26, Gaston has compiled an impressive resumé since graduating with honors from Haines City High School in 2005.</p><p>He has worked for and among prominent Florida politicians, including the past and potentially next governor, Charlie Crist. He has created his own nonprofit, the Gaston Justice Coalition.</p><p>And this summer, Gaston will travel to Central America on a "peace building" fellowship sponsored by the World Council of Churches United Nations liaison office. He will spend three months in El Salvador and Costa Rica, consulting with leaders in those countries on ways to reduce gang activity and improve conditions in prisons.</p><p>"Our goal is to basically decrease the number of people entering into the prison system in El Salvador and Costa Rica," Gaston said by phone from New Haven, Conn. "As of now, they don't have the rehabilitation service to help people reintegrate back into society."</p><p>AMASSING DEGREES</p><p>Gaston, who now holds three degrees and plans to earn two more, might seem an unlikely prospect to reach the Ivy League. His father, Moses Gaston, is an immigrant from the Caribbean nation of Saint Lucia who labored in the citrus industry for years and later worked as a press operations director for a manufacturing company.</p><p>Gaston's mother, Mary Jasper, has been a certified nursing assistant at a nursing home and now works in the cafeteria at Sandhill Elementary School in Haines City. Gaston said he is the first member of his family to graduate from college.</p><p>"Although my parents are not college educated, I consider them to be my heroes," he said. "In their own right, they are organic intellectuals. They taught me the meaning of hard work, diligence and persistence. And for them, I am forever grateful."</p><p>Jasper said her son showed aptitudes for education and oratory as a child.</p><p>"He was always prayerful when he was young," Jasper said, speaking by phone from a train home after attending her son's graduation ceremony in New Haven, Conn. "My mother — she has passed away — told me he was always praying. He would try to preach when he was little."</p><p>Gaston's political talents also emerged during his youth. He was elected class president as a senior at Haines City High.</p><p>He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Florida A&M University's Honors Program in 2� � years and added a master's degree in political science and public administration a year later.</p><p>Gaston interned with members of the Florida Legislature's black caucus as an undergraduate, assisting the likes of Frederica Wilson, now a U.S. Congresswoman, and Florida Sen. Gary Siplin.</p><p>After finishing at FAMU, Gaston spent two years in the Florida Gubernatorial Fellows Program. He said he worked as a legislative analyst in the executive office of Gov. Crist the first year and as a legislative assistant at the Department of Corrections the second year. Gaston has photos of himself with many elected officials, among them Crist and Sen. Bill Nelson.</p><p>FACING A CRISIS</p><p>Soon after Gaston entered Yale Divinity School in 2010, he became ensnared in a legal battle that is now a defining event in his life. He was arrested and brought back to Florida to face charges of custodial sexual battery. As a result, he was suspended f rom the divinity school.</p><p>The arrest stemmed from Gaston's stint as a counselor the previous summer with Upward Bound, a mentoring program for high school students based at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Some of Gaston's fellow mentors gave depositions supporting him, the Yale Daily News reported.</p><p>The State Attorney's Office of the 13th Judicial District eventually dismissed the case, and Gaston later returned to Yale.</p><p>Gaston insists he was falsely accused and said the episode heightened his concerns about problems with the criminal justice system, particularly in cases involving minorities.</p><p>"Shortly after all of that, I became very intimately involved in criminal justice issues because all too often I've seen how many men of color like me fall under the crushing yoke of the criminal justice system," Gaston said. "I think (the experience) authenticates my voice to be able to speak legitimately on those issues."</p><p>He added: "I have the tenacity of a bulldog and believe there is a theological underpinning to what I've been through."</p><p>Peterson, the Yale Divinity School dean, said Gaston has been a prominent and highly engaged student. As an assistant in the admissions office at the divinity school, he presented the "first face" encountered by prospective students, Peterson said.</p><p>"Herron is an amazingly gregarious and affable and personable figure, and he's very smart and able to speak intelligently about the program and offer a helpful critique into what might be offered here for someone," Peterson said.</p><p>Peterson said Gaston has been invited to offer prayers or read scripture or lead the call to worship at the daily services held at Yale's Marquand Chapel.</p><p>"He's a very powerful pray-er," Peterson said.</p><p>PUBLIC PREACHING</p><p>A highlight of Gaston's time at Yale came t his spring when he was invited to deliver a sermon during a chapel service. He said he spoke on the need for churches to be active in their communities. During a Eucharist service held in conjunction with the recent commencement exercise at the divinity school, Gaston offered prayers and gave a farewell charge to his classmates.</p><p>After he returns from his summer fellowship in Central America, Gaston will return to Yale to pursue a master's degree in sacred theology. He said he plans later to attend law school before launching his political career.</p><p>Along with his experiences in state government, Gaston said he has volunteered on political campaigns. He worked to support such local candidates as former Haines City Commissioner Adam Burgess and current commissioner Horace West, and he served as a canvassing coordinator in Tallahassee for President Barack Obama's campaign in 2008.</p><p>Gaston, a Democrat, said he will return to Florida whe n he is ready to run for public office.</p><p>Gaston has a website (www.herrongaston.com) dedicated to his nonprofit, the Gaston Justice Coalition. </p><p>He said he coordinated efforts to bring two bus loads of students from Yale to Tallahassee last summer to demonstrate against Florida's Stand Your Ground Law on the floor of the Florida State Capitol.</p><p>Samanthia Martin, a friend of Gaston's since both were students at Florida A&M, said she is confident he will go far in public service. Martin, a licensed minister and now a doctoral student at Florida State University, said she has had a "revelation" of Gaston becoming a United States ambassador.</p><p>"His challenges have given him this drive," Martin said. "When you have challenges and you're able to overcome them, I think that's what makes you even stronger."</p><p>[ Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. He blogs about tourism a t http://tourism.blogs.theledger.com. ]</p>