{"id":18586,"date":"2026-02-19T21:12:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T21:12:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/?p=18586"},"modified":"2026-02-19T21:47:04","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T21:47:04","slug":"waite-high-school-graduate-making-strides-and-overcoming-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/19\/waite-high-school-graduate-making-strides-and-overcoming-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"Waite High School Graduate Making Strides and Overcoming Challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"The Truth Staff<\/strong><\/p>\n

Daron Webb didn’t just graduate from high school; he overcame challenges and is looking to the future. While most high schoolers were focused on exams, athletics, and extra-curricular activities, Daron was navigating homelessness, battling depression, and sometimes acting as a caregiver for his younger brother.<\/p>\n

But thanks to the guidance and unwavering support of Romules Durant, EdD, CEO\/Superintendent for Toledo Public Schools, Daron attended summer school and graduated from Waite High School in the fall. He is now working for a local electrical company, Industrial Power Systems in Rossford.<\/p>\n

Despite his success, a major barrier remains. Daron has been walking more than a mile to get to work, often in the early morning hours, no matter the weather. Recognizing Daron\u2019s “no-excuses” work ethic, Durant reached out to Yark Automotive Group and shared this young man\u2019s story of resilience.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were more than willing to help and be part of Daron\u2019s story. As a Toledo family-owned business for 45 years, we believe in supporting the success of our community and our neighbors,\u201d said Emily Yark of Yark Automotive Group. \u201cWe cannot wait to see the look on Daron\u2019s face when he gets the keys to his new car and hope it provides him with the continuing drive toward success.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"A number of people were fortunate to see the look on Daron\u2019s face last Thursday, February 12, as he was totally surprised by the gist presented to him by Yark, a brand new Honda Civic sedan.<\/p>\n

IPS employees, Toledo Public Schools staff, State Farm representatives were among the several dozen onlookers who were able to witness the young man\u2019s surprise and delight.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe never quit on himself,\u201d said Durant as he presented the keys of the car to Daron and praised his \u201cheart and character.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recently Yark stepped up to donate the vehicle as Daron continued his work at IPS. \u201cSomeone like that is worth celebrating,\u201d said Billy Yark during the presentation.<\/p>\n

Noting Daron\u2019s determination to get to work every day, Durant said: \u201cIf we have to crawl there, we crawl there; if we have to walk there, we walk there, but, today, Daron, you\u2019re gonna drive there!\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to the Yark gift, State Farm has stepped up to provide free insurance for the first six months and will work with Daron for six months thereafter to make sure he receives the best rate, said State Farm representative Jennifer Hyatt.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel so inspired,\u201d said Daron when he was able to overcome his shock. \u201cI\u2019m just grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others were inspired as well. \u201cYou are great people,\u201d said IPS\u2019s Kyla Knight. \u201cKeep doing what you are doing \u2026 we love you.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Truth Staff Daron Webb didn’t just graduate from high school; he overcame challenges and is looking to the future. While most high schoolers were focused on exams, athletics, and extra-curricular activities, Daron was navigating homelessness, battling depression, and sometimes acting as a caregiver for his younger brother. But thanks to the guidance and unwavering […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18589,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[250],"tags":[],"wf_post_folders":[335],"class_list":["post-18586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18586","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18586"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18586\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18590,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18586\/revisions\/18590"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18589"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18586"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18586"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18586"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=18586"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}