Special bond connects 2023 Live Like DJ Scholars

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By Tim Wood CONTRIBUTOR

DJ Fields always did things big. He was a big imposing dude with a proportional scowl that instantly morphed into an ear-to-ear grin the minute he converted strangers into friends. He always came up big for his friends and family.

So it’s no surprise that the second class of Live Like DJ Scholars is as oversized as the heart that Fields exhibited in the community.

“This is all about how the community has shown their love for my son,” said his father, Dwon Fields Sr. “We’re able to double our class of scholars this year because of the love and support y’all have shown for DJ and our family and the commitment to ensuring his legacy.”

The 2023 DJ Scholars group is special beyond its size. It includes relatives of Fields and DJ’s best friend, EJ Graham, who was injured in the car crash and shooting that took Fields’ life on March 5, 2021.

“My bond with DJ, it was bigger than I ever even knew. We overcame stuff together, we were always together as one. There was never selfishness, we were always one,” Graham said of his relationship with Fields. “If he didn’t have it, I had it to give. If I didn’t have it, he had it for me. It’s hard going on without my brother. It’s hard not knowing what could happen next, this was so much. I’m going day-by-day, trying to move forward.”

Fields’ cousins, Hilton Head Island High School’s Skylar Richardson (attending USC Upstate this fall) and May River High School’s Abigail Brown (South Carolina State) join Graham (Bluffton High, USC/Midlands Tech) as recipients of the $2,000 scholarship with close ties to Fields.

“He’s my first cousin, but I say he’s my brother because he treated me like a little sister,” Richardson said. “He was so protective of me. I remember when I went to my first dance, he was like, ‘No, no, no, where’s it at? I’m going.’ He just loved on me so much.”

Brown saw DJ as the welcoming and calming presence in her life from the minute she got to Bluffton.

“Even before we moved here, we’d come visit family and go to cookouts on the hill. I’d be standing back, keeping to myself all shy and he’d come by, smile and we’d have a laugh and he made me feel great,” Brown said.

Kema Bryant, DJ’s mother, said that whether related or not, these dozen kids differentiated themselves both in their essay applications and when Bryant and Fields, Sr. got to meet them at both their school ceremonies and the scholars’ photo shoot get-together.

“The stories that all of the applicants shared, they were so inspirational. But to see Skylar, Abigail and EJ honoring DJ like this, it makes us proud, I know DJ is smiling upon us seeing his family excel,” Bryant said. “We are growing this scholarship in honor of DJ and it’s emotional beyond words to see this class and to know the future impact they are going to have on this community.”

Lou was experiencing ongoing neck pain from a previous injury. After consulting with two neurosurgeons, Lou was on the verge of surgery in hopes of relieving the constant pain. He saw the ad for the Fraum Center for Restorative Health and signed up for a free seminar. With the promise of pain relief without surgery, Lou started restorative treatment with the doctors at Fraum for his neck, knees, and shoulders. Lou has not only rebuilt his strength and movement again, he has also rebuilt a pain-free life.

Schools from across the Lowcountry are represented in the 2023 class, including May River High School’s McKenna Swinton (Claflin University) and Ashlyn Babkiewicz (Clemson), Hilton Head Christian Academy’s Judy Austin (Mississippi State) and Lilly Parker (Anderson University), Hilton Head Island High School’s Chelsee Kuklinski (West Virginia University), Audrey Perry (Rollins) and Whitney McGuire (USC), Beaufort High School’s A’Leayah Polite (Lander University) and Wade Hampton High School’s

Jayda Risher (North Carolina A&T). Their paths to get to graduation have included many obstacles, from broken families to medical emergencies and losing parents. They’ve battled sports injuries, and in Graham’s case, witnessed deaths of close ones. This year’s group is especially outspoken about mental health and talking about the day-to-day tribulations that can pile up in our heads if we don’t deal with the traumas.

They have big plans for the future, from becoming teachers to lawyers, tackling cybersecurity, and medical careers from surgeons to dentists.

When asked to share advice for poten- tial future Live Like DJ Scholars trying to find their place and path, their answers were varied but shared a common thread: Be fearless.

“You have everyone saying, ‘What do you want to do?’ Well, there’s so many things I want to do. There is no one right way, we’re not supposed to have it all figured out right now,” Brown said. “But what’s important is to not get stuck. You don’t have to rush or feel pressured to find that path. Just keep pushing forward, enjoying each new adventure.”

More than $100,000 has been raised in the two years since DJ’s death through events such as the annual “DJ’s Day of

Giving”, where businesses across Beaufort County give a portion of their sales to the fund. The event was held on May 5, 2021, and the 55th day of the year in 2022 and 2023 to honor Fields’ No. 55 that he wore as part of the Bluffton High School football team.

The annual fundraiser will take place next on Feb. 24, 2024. For more on the scholarship fund, to watch videos detailing each of the scholar’s stories and to contribute to Live Like DJ, visit djdayofgiving.com.

Tim Wood is a veteran journalist based in Bluffton. timwood@blufftonsun.com.