Celebrated former rapper, real estate entrepreneur, and Newton Public Schools alum Ronnie DeVoe received the first‑ever Newton Portrait of a Learner Award on May 28 at a ceremony conducted at Newton North High School. DeVoe was praised for exemplifying the qualities of the new Portrait of a Learner initiative, which aims to equip students for success in economic and social spheres.
Newton North High School Principal Henry Turner commended DeVoe, saying that DeVoe “continues to inspire across generations.” DeVoe is the founder of DeVoe Real Estate and a National Association of Real Estate Brokers Ambassador, and he has traveled around the U.S., educating families on homeownership, investing, and protecting inherited assets.
Newton Public Schools (NPS) Superintendent Anna Nolin presented DeVoe with the award shortly after delivering brief remarks.
“[DeVoe] embodies the very best of what we hope our students become through the work of our schools and through our Portrait of a Learner vision. Ronnie DeVoe is not only an internationally recognized artist, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and cultural leader. He is one of our own,” Dr. Nolin said.
Dr. Nolin went on to celebrate DeVoe’s career accomplishments, as well as his efforts to uplift families and young people, especially students in the METCO program. Growing up in Boston, DeVoe had attended NPS through the METCO program. Dr. Nolin said that DeVoe’s legacies as a philanthropist and community leader now even outshine his celebrity status as a pioneer of rap music.
“Ronnie DeVoe is what it means to thrive, and to help others thrive. And I admire him more now than I did as a 10-year-old admiring a heartthrob. His journey, though, reflects the promise of education, of METCO, of Newton, that when students are seen, challenged, supported, and believed in, they can change their lives and the lives of others,” Dr. Nolin said.
Upon receiving the award from Dr. Nolin, DeVoe gave a speech to the assembled audience of soon-to-be Newton North High School graduates.
DeVoe reflected on his early life growing up in the Orchard Park Projects in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, which he said was “designed for [one] to not make it out of,” and thanked his mother, Florence DeVoe, for enrolling him in the METCO program, which enabled him to attend Horace Mann elementary school, then Brown Middle School, and eventually Newton North, from which he graduated in 1986.
“I thank my host parents, the Rowlings, for [providing me with] a home… They had probably at least a half an acre plus with a creek in the back. It exposed me to something different, opportunity, home ownership. It planted a seed of greatness right here in Newton, Massachusetts,” DeVoe said.
DeVoe remarked to the Newton North seniors that his rise to stardom took substantial effort, citing the 1983 debut hit single “Candy Girl,” released while DeVoe was a member of New Edition, as an example of the dedication required to achieve success. He noted that his group had been practicing for their debut 6-7 times per week since their founding in 1978.
To triumph in the same way that he did, DeVoe told the Newton North seniors that they must step outside of their comfort zones and to never listen to their detractors.
“Continue to listen to the people that love you and support you. Don’t listen to the haters; focus on positivity. And know that each and every one of you in this room right now, each and every one of you in this room right now, as I look into your eyes, there’s greatness,” DeVoe said.
In the next segment of his speech, DeVoe pulled students out from the crowd and asked them about their career plans, encouraging each to be the best they can be, to thunderous applause. Highlighted by DeVoe in this way were an aspiring veterinarian, a prospective marine biologist, and a future third-grade teacher.
Following these remarks, DeVoe answered a few questions from local news outlets, including Fig City News.
Responding to a question about why DeVoe returned to Newton North to speak to current students, DeVoe said that he wished to pass along his gifts and talents to the community that provided him so much.
“We are all put here to learn something and do something, and then pass those gifts and those knowledge points and those tools and relationships and opportunity to people. And to be a reflection of what people that went to this school, Newton North, can actually do in life, whether it’s in entertainment or technology or medicine or sports,” DeVoe said.
DeVoe said that he had asked students what they wished to do in life because this event ultimately “wasn’t about me,” but instead was about supporting those listening in their endeavors.
When asked about the key competencies of the NPS Portrait of a Learner – adaptability, critical thinking, effective communication, empathy, and a learner’s mindset – DeVoe said that he most valued the ability to problem solve.
“[His current R&B group] creates experiences. When people come to our shows, to this very day, we are solving the problem of sometimes stress in a person’s life. …You need a bridge at times to get you to the next or over the next hurdle or to the next point in your life,” DeVoe said.
Offstage, DeVoe remarked that in his real estate career and philanthropy, he relies on problem-solving skills to address the issue of housing inequality and lack of accessibility to generational wealth.