
Dimaris Smith can’t even count the number of Chicago-area high schools he’s been kicked out of. He bounced around schools until he landed in a juvenile detention center, and then, prison.
He tries, ticking off schools on his fingers. He eventually gives up trying to pin down a number. Smith is fresh from walking across a red carpet in front of a cheering crowd waving orange pompoms and an emcee who demands he strike a pose.