Myron Odum '94

Young Myron Odum, Jr., was tired of going to Catholic school. “I was done with it,” he says laughing now. “I didn’t want to wear a uniform. I wanted to go to Central. It was a 20 minute bus ride and it would be easy to get there.”

His mother, Phyllis Odum, wasn’t convinced and persuaded him to take the test at the Prep. Once he was accepted, she said that that was where he was going. “I went in kicking and screaming but she knew it was the best decision for me,” Odum says. “About 30 days in, I thought ‘I like this’ and fell in love with the place. The guys were so welcoming and the teachers challenged us to be better. They didn’t coddle us but let us know that they were there to help.”

He remembers the feeling that being smart was a good thing at the Prep. “It wasn’t easy, especially the first year, but we all pushed each other to be the best we could be; to achieve something better,” he says. “I had never been exposed to something like that but there was a camaraderie that existed at the Prep that was great.”

Now, Odum has reconnected with the school in several ways. He joined the A4 (African American Alumni Association) and serves as a mentor there. He has also joined the President’s Advisory Council, after making a gift that was matched by his company, Johnson & Johnson, “doubling the gift’s impact.”

“I was mentored by the guys in A4 as a student and I wanted to repay that,” Odum says. “I first got involved with A4 but wanted to invest more.”

He received a call from Patti Frey, Director of Development, who helped him make a gift to support something that is important to him: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programming. “With the times that we are in, it’s important that we continue to champion diversity in everything we do. This includes ethnic diversity, diversity of thought, and diversity of experiences,” says Odum. “As I think about the Prep, we have to train our students to be ready to interact with a broader world. To make a donation to support DEI is important to me because I preach to my sons and daughter that we must always have an inclusive mindset.”

Making a major gift wasn’t Myron’s decision alone. His wife, Joni Odum, was equally supportive of the gift. “She has known about the Prep for some time and knows what type of impact it made on my life,” he says. “She’s attended some of the A4 events and saw firsthand the impact it can have on the students' lives. When I told her I wanted to give more than my time, and that I wanted to make an investment in the school, she was 100% onboard.”

The Odums look forward to being members of the President’s Advisory Council to “hear what’s going on at the Prep and to participate as best we can to make an impact on the students’ lives.” Myron wants to help current Prep students in the same way that he was helped. “The Prep opened so many doors for me, but it gave me so much more,” he says. “I grew up in an all-black neighborhood and the Prep allowed me to be exposed to a wide array of students, experiences, and opportunities. I learned that not everyone thinks the same way or has shared the same experiences. At the Prep, I learned invaluable skills such as a strong work ethic and developing a winning mindset that have been instrumental to me, both personally and professionally.”