A son of Newark has come home.

Rahfeal Gordon, an Arts High School graduate who is now an award-winning entrepreneur, author and lecturer, returned home to Newark Public Schools on Monday, back to where his journey to success began almost two decades ago.

District administrators and teachers, city officials and students gathered today at AHS to hear Gordon's inspiring message of hope and determination and to proclaim September 25 as RahGor Day, a fitting tribute to a man that has emerged as a role model for thousands of people across the globe.

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Gordon has come a long way. Once homeless and living in a Newark shelter with his mother and three brothers, the young entrepreneur’s message to young people is simple: “I made it, and so can you.”

Gordon, who graduated from AHS in 2001, said that returning to his alma mater is an opportunity to inspire the next generation.

"It's full circle for me," he said. "A lot of memories came back to me as soon as stepped foot onto the grounds. At AHS it's the environment that allowed me to be me. The environment and culture always encouraged me to be me. We were able to exercise our imagination. It was always a safe haven."

Although he would not wish homelessness on anyone, Gordon said he feels grateful for the experience, calling it part of the necessary process that helped shape him into the man he is today.

Gordon spoke of his time in the shelter and recalled a visit one Christmas from music icons Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, just one of many memories that gave him the strength to carry on during those challenging times years ago.





“On the holidays, Whitney Houston came to the shelter to give out gifts,” Gordon said, recalling that his father was a big fan of Brown's. “I went up to Whitney wanting an autograph and said, 'My mom loves you,' and I said to Bobby, 'My dad loves you'.”

Although Houston was being rushed through the shelter by her entourage, Gordon said, the singer refused to leave until she autographed a scrap of paper that Gordon had given her to sign.

“Never stop smiling, baby,” Houston told him.

And Gordon never has.

Gordon said he made a decision to turn each of life's negatives into positives, to turn the things he saw on the streets of Newark into something better.

“Instead of selling drugs, I decided to sell candy,” Gordon said simply.

The young Gordon convinced his grandparents to come in as the first investors in his candy business, and soon he was selling candy throughout the school. Other students eventually came on board, with Gordon giving them a piece of the profits, and soon Gordon was earning as much as $300 a day.

“The reward was it kept me off the streets,” Gordon said.

Gordon started Infinite Productions while still attending AHS, with the goal of developing events that promoted unity on high school and college campuses.

After graduating from AHS, Gordon went on to attend Montclair State University, and later to Harvard University.

Newark Public Schools Superintendent Christopher Cerf said that Gordon serves as an example of what NPS students are made of.

“Rahfeal Gordon’s success exemplifies the spirit and determination of Newark Public Schools students,” Cerf said. “We are proud of Rahfeal’s accomplishments and find him to be a role model for others.”

Gordon calls himself a village child and tells young people to search out role models for themselves.

“If there are people that aren’t there, find a mentor to fill that void,” he said.

In 2001, Gordon established his nonprofit organization, Team Infinite, on the campuses of Montclair State University and Bloomfield College. He later went on to create the Rahfeal C. Gordon Scholarship Foundation, designed to benefit high school and college students with average grades but who exhibit exceptional business acumen and entrepreneurial spirit.

Gordon launched RahGor Motivations and Publishing in 2008, a company that provides global speaking platforms, management, consulting and book publishing services for individuals who have powerful stories, testimonies or expertise to share, and was later tapped to be a featured entrepreneur in the AMC Theaters distributed film, “TEN9EIGHT."

Gordon, who has won myriad awards, including NAACP and Paul Robeson Leadership awards, among others, has authored 14 books, including, “Skyscraper: Going Beyond Your Limits to Reach Greatness,” and “One23: The Compelling Memoir of Rahgor.”

He became the Global Ambassador of the International Hub in Oslo, Norway, which houses and provides resources for startup entrepreneurs from 21 different countries, and co-founded the Voices for World Peace organization, a platform that brings together global leaders and youth to address issues like extremism and inequality.

Gordon credits NPS teachers for much of his success.

"They always pushed me to stay the course, " he said. "I did have some ups and downs along the way, but your location is not your destination. The process is more important than the reward because in the process you find your friends and family. I'm hoping that the students today see themselves in me."