For mechanical engineer Dante' D. Davis, life began in Saginaw, Michigan, in an underserved, under-resourced, and under-respected community. Even so, as presaged by an African proverb that says, "It takes a village to raise a child," Dante' was encouraged, enriched, mentored, inspired, and educated by his community's determined leadership. One of Dante's supporters, in particular, a teacher who, early on, recognized his abilities, introduced him to the possibilities for a future he hadn't imagined. Thanks to such lights on his path, and because of youth camps, after-school and summer programs, and advanced opportunities through colleges and universities, Dante' was able to parlay a simple childhood affection, his love of cars, into a career in engineering.

As he reflects on his years of service as an engineer at companies such as Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler, Dante' is grateful to have accomplished his dream career. Beyond those major automobile companies, he also went on to extend his reach by joining the SpaceX team to work on building rockets, and, then, landed a position at Tesla Motors.

Subsequent to his own successes, it became Dante's goal to extend the same leg up to other inner-city youth. To that end, he has taken on the mantle of "village" leadership as the creator of SAGINAW S.T.E.M., a program he designed and founded in 2019, with the goal to introduce urban youth to hands-on experiences in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The program offers resources, education, excitement, and advancement to heretofore mostly opportunity-deprived and excluded children of the "village" that is Saginaw.

To put it mildly, Dante' Davis counts himself among the blessed. As his own best example of what children are capable of, Dante' continues to grow a team of "villagers," experts, and volunteers, to work with students in K-12 to foster their interest in science and technical disciplines. SAGINAW S.T.E.M. currently sponsors a Saturday S.T.E.M. program for students in K-12, as well as an after-school program for high schoolers. Dante' believes that the sky is the limit, literally, and he is on a mission to help guide young people along the way.