The Autobiography of Kevin Saunders
In the Beginning.
The Founder and CEO of DSYSC™ Productions is Kevin Saunders. The
second of three children born to Elijah and Monzella Saunders of
Baltimore, Maryland, Kevin is a twin, along with his sister, who is
named Donna. Donna and Kevin also have a baby sister, who is named
Monzella.
From early childhood, Kevin
has always held an appreciation for music. His parents were devoted
Christians of the Pentecostal faith, where music played a significant
role in worship services. There, Gospel music was the predominant genre
of choice for praise and worship services.
As a teenager, Kevin’s
musical tastes leaned towards R&B and Jazz, and despite the occasional
suggestion from his parents that he consider listening to more classical
music, the influence of R&B instilled an interest in dancing as a form
of social expression.
College Days. At 18,
Kevin left Baltimore to enroll in engineering school at Drexel
University in Philadelphia, PA. Choosing Drexel, which is well known
for its cooperative education program, where matriculating students
acquire scholastic and work experience before graduating from a Bachelor
of Science program, Kevin received a memorable opportunity to work for
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE), Middle East Division in Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia in his junior year. Serving as a Mechanical Inspector for
a construction field office at a residential community of the Royal
Saudi Naval Force, Kevin helped COE build various military facilities
throughout Saudi Arabia. This assignment was Kevin’s first experience
overseas and left a lasting impression on him. Until then, he had never
considered what life was like outside of the United States. He left
Saudi Arabia with memories that he never forgot, and these memories led
to his current interest in international and cross-cultural relations.
Turning Professional.
After completing engineering school, Kevin returned to work for the U.S
Army COE at their national headquarters in Winchester, VA. There, he
served for a year as a Design Engineer before accepting another job
offer to work for a naval research laboratory in Annapolis, Maryland.
During his first year at the
research lab, he enrolled in a part-time Masters program in electrical
engineering at the Catholic University of America, where he specialized
in signal processing and acoustics. Upon successfully completing that
program, he received a Master of Science degree in electrical
engineering.
Although he enjoyed working
in naval research at first, Kevin grew restless and ultimately found
himself dissatisfied with the work. Discovering that many opportunities
existed in Patent Law for people with knowledge of engineering, Kevin
decided to pursue a career in patent law. This combination excited him,
because he knew something about the use of patents in developing new and
improved silencing technologies, and was intrigued by the prospect of
entering a new field.
Transition to Law. A
year after graduating from Catholic University, Kevin enrolled full-time
at the D.C. School of Law. Early in his first semester, Kevin met a
fellow classmate from Miami, Florida named Graciela Cabezas, who
classmates knew simply as “Grace.” Grace was Cuban-American. The heavy
workload didn’t leave much time for extra-curricular activities, but
Kevin did eventually learn more about her background. One Friday night
after classes, Grace invited a group of classmates to join her at a
local, Cuban-owned bar known as Havana Village. There, Kevin had his
first experience with Latin music.
As Kevin recalls it, the
music generally sounded pretty good, but nothing extraordinary captured
his ear—until they started playing Salsa. The Salsa music had a unique
sound and rhythm all its own. As enjoyable as it was to listen to,
Kevin became frustrated because he desperately wanted to dance but he
didn’t know how. At that moment, he determined that somehow he had to
find a way to learn to dance Salsa, despite not being Latin-American.
Second semester, Kevin
received a job offer to work at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
as a Patent Examiner. While this news initially excited him, he soon
realized that it was a mixed blessing. On one hand, it was a big step
toward fulfilling his dream to practice patent law. But school policy
prohibited students from working full-time. After some deliberation,
the law school decided to grant Kevin a one year leave of absence to
enable him to accept the job offer, but election of this alternative
would postpone his graduation for a year.
At this point, everything
seemed to be coming together well for Kevin. Not only had he been able
to join the USPTO as a Patent Examiner while keeping his law school
eligibility, but he also discovered that working full-time left him with
more free time to pursue his interest in Salsa.
The Patent Office assigned
Kevin to Art Unit 2108, a technological group that specialized in
electronic printing apparatuses, such as ink jet printers and fax
machines, where he began examining pending U.S. patent applications for
patentable subject matter.
Kevin immediately began to
search for a reputable dance instructor, from whom to learn Salsa
dancing, and found an American dance instructor named Leon, who taught
weekly Salsa lessons at Havana Village. Leon soon recognized Kevin’s
passion for Salsa and began extending other opportunities, for which
Kevin to study under him. For example, he sometimes permitted Kevin to
follow him to other venues where he taught Salsa.
Over time, their relationship
grew, not only as Mentor-Mentee, but as friends. Ultimately, Kevin
gained so much knowledge and experience from Leon, that he was able to
frequently substitute for him whenever he was unavailable because of
travel or other reasons.
After a year and a half at
the Patent Office, Kevin resigned to return to law school. Upon
graduation, he accepted a job offer from a private law firm, where he
specialized in writing U.S. patent applications for inventions involving
emerging internet-based technologies. A few years later, he returned to
the Patent Office, where he continued in his specialization of emerging
internet-based technologies.
Discovery of Life Beyond
Materialism. Between the time of Kevin’s graduation and his return
to the Patent Office, he encountered several experiences that ultimately
led him to alter his core beliefs and World view.
By now, Kevin had spent much
of his adult life chasing after personal goals and achievements. He had
already obtained a masters degree and a law degree but wanted to
accomplish more. He set a goal of becoming a member of the U.S. Patent
Bar and at least one state bar. But these goals were never realized, at
least not within the time frame that he initially set for himself. Over
the next several years, Kevin took several bar examinations without
success, and Kevin began to question his abilities. The impact from
this experience seemed overwhelming at the time because before then, he
had believed that he could achieve virtually anything that he set his
mind to. Success depended only on one’s discipline and determination.
Another experience that led
Kevin to question the direction of his life occurred when he and his
ex-fiancée found themselves unable to avoid recurring conflicts that
often escalated and became heated. This situation eventually led them
to seek Pastoral counseling, attempting to salvage what had become a
deteriorating and destructive relationship, and caused Kevin to examine
and reflect on his personal and professional life.
After some self-examination
and reflection, Kevin realized that in his drive to succeed in his
career, he had neglected two important truths: no human is omniscient
or perfect. Accordingly, the best answers to life’s puzzles are
sometimes found from others. Still at other times, the answers lie
beyond human intelligence altogether. So, Kevin decided to start
looking beyond himself for wisdom.
He began his search with God,
and decided to consider the existence of God and whether He truly is the
omnipotent creator of the universe. Or is God merely the result of
human ingenuity. Moreover, if God does exist, does He add any
substantial value to the lives of humans. Finally, Kevin wanted to know
about the significance of Jesus Christ, the so called “God-man.”
During this period, Kevin
reflected on many of his personal beliefs concerning life, and
questioned his beliefs about the true role. He thought about education,
money, and romance in providing true happiness and fulfillment in life.
From his own experience, he realized that most worldly possessions
provided only temporary gratification. Moreover, he realized that
nothing in this world provides lifetime fulfillment, with one possible
exception—LOVE. So then the question became where does one find true
love.
To find the answer, Kevin
turned to the Bible to discover if it provided practical guidance for
finding life fulfillment. To his surprise, he found its teachings to be
very practical, because of the countless life stories of actual people
recorded in history. For example, Kevin he read about the life of Job,
who is recognized as the greatest sufferer and mourner in the Bible.
As a result of his Bible
reading, Kevin decided to call an old friend, with whom he had once been
close. He had several questions about claims made not only in the
bible, but by that friend. Prior to that friend’s conversion from
agnosticism to Christianity, neither of them had any particular interest
in spiritual matters. But after accepting Jesus Christ, his friend’s
life dramatically changed.
As his friend patiently
answered all of his questions, Kevin began to realize that his friend’s
conversion to Christianity was not mere superficial, but life-changing.
Kevin’s friend was not the person Kevin had known before. Nor did his
friend think and live the same way, and Kevin saw that his friend had
discovered a brand new identity in Jesus Christ.
After spending some time and
insights with Kevin, his friend read a passage from the book of Romans,
which explained how one can conquer sin and receive eternal life with
God by accepting the Salvation offered by Jesus Christ.
Coming to believe that sin had damaged his life, Kevin asked Jesus to
come into his life and redeem him from his sinful past. From that
moment, Kevin has trusted God for wisdom in his life and has grown to
become a Disciple
of Jesus Christ.
As for Kevin’s courtship with
his ex-fiancée, the tensions escalated even more after Kevin declared
his allegiance to Jesus Christ, eventually reaching a climax a few
months later when Kevin decided to break their engagement. His decision
was based not only on his conversion, but on a third and final instance,
in which his ex-fiancée had reacted physically to his refusal to concede
to her demands. But on this final occasion, she reacted even more
maliciously than she had previously, by filing false charges of criminal
Assault and Battery against him. She chose this course of action
apparently to counter an established pattern in the past, in which Kevin
had notified police authorities whenever she reacted physically to
conflicts between them.
Things got worse when the
lower court ultimately decided not only to prosecute Kevin based on the
falsified charges, but also to convict him. Kevin was bewildered. The
case brought against him had been built on lies, he had no prior
criminal record and had a respectable private and professional life that
included a Juris Doctor degree in law.
Amidst this tragedy, Kevin
found comfort from a passage in the book of Proverbs that instructs us
to always place our trust in the Lord and not in ourselves.
Given past experiences in which Kevin had disappointed himself, he
recognized the wisdom of this instruction.
Clearly, the court’s action
had not rested on the truth in Kevin’s case. Rather, it’s action rested
on something else--something corrupted by deceit. The reality of this
situation greatly troubled Kevin, because the legal system had shown
itself blind or indifferent to the truth.
Kevin was in a state of
dismay inside the courtroom when he decided to flip open the Bible,
seeking inspiration amidst his despair. Literally, upon opening the
Bible, he stumbled upon a passage in Romans 13, which states in part
that “rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those
who do wrong.
So, as best understood by Kevin at that time, the passage appeared to
imply that Kevin had nothing to fear, because he had done nothing
wrong. The only person who had anything to fear was the person who had
perpetrated lies before the Court—his ex-fiancée! Thereafter, Kevin was
at peace, despite having been found guilty of a crime he didn’t commit,
and focused on his subsequent efforts on disclosing the truth. He also
focused on continuing to walk righteously before God and man.
However, Kevin did ponder the
apparent reality of our American judicial system, in light of the
shortcomings of humanity. From law school, he knew about the
functioning of the American judicial system from an idealistic
perspective. But now, he was beginning to understand how the system
functioned in the real world. Essentially, he learned from this
experience that the best efforts of men usually falls short of the
idealistic standard, which only God can satisfy.
In this context, Kevin better
understood why even Jesus suffered a wrongful conviction—to death.
If even Jesus could not receive justice here on earth, why should Kevin
expect anything better?
In light of this perspective,
Kevin considered the character of Jesus, who voluntarily humbled Himself
on earth, living as an ordinary man, and who allowed mere men to condemn
Him to death—death on a cross.
Kevin first declared his
faith in Jesus Christ in February of 2000. Now, only three months
later, his faith was being tested by many around him who seemed unable
to recognize the truth. Despite this opposition against him, Kevin
continued to trust God, and his sovereign power for enabling him to
prevail in the greatest trial of his life. Because of the lives of many
great men of faith recorded by the Bible,
Kevin recognized that he was not alone in his suffering. Many
Christians have had to endure long-suffering under persecution before
receiving any reward for their faith in God. So, Kevin resolved to do
the same in his case.
Life After Death.
Kevin ultimately won his case on appeal, having been acquitted of all
criminal charges. Today, Kevin continues to believe that God honored
His Word and Kevin’s faith through his experience. Since then, his
confidence and faith in God have grown.
In July 2002, Kevin founded
DSYSC™ Productions to pay tribute to God for his countless blessings in
Kevin’s life and to respond to the great commandment and the great
commission of Jesus Christ.
Kevin’s goal is to use DSYSC™ Productions as a tool for bridging
cultural divides in the D.C. Metropolitan area between people of
different races, ethnicities, national origins, and religions.
Since its inception, DSYSC™
Productions has sponsored a variety of entertainment platforms promoting
Salsa music and dancing. Its most common platform has been the
sponsorship of weekly Salsa lessons, which are open to the public at
several Latino-owned establishments throughout D.C., Virginia, and
Maryland.
2Consider it pure joy, my
brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because
you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance
must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking
anything. James 1:2-4, New
International Version
Job was a prosperous farmer and a man of God, who lived in the
land of Uz. He had thousands of sheep, camels, and other
livestock, a large family, and many servants. In the course of
time, Job lost his children, servants, livestock, herdsmen, and
home through destruction; but Job continued to trust in God.
Job suffered physically from an outbreak of painful sores that
covered his body. Job’s wife told him to curse God and die, but
Job just suffered in silence. Three of Job’s friends, Eliphaz,
Bildad, and Zophar, who initially came to visit him and to
grieve with him, concluded instead that sin had caused his
suffering. However, God ultimately rebuked his friends and
restored Job to happiness and wealth.
Kevin saw how Job’s faith in God
had given him power over his sight, how Job’s principles had
given him power over his emotions, and how God’s grace had given
Job power over temptations from Satan. Job 1:13-22. From this
point on, Kevin appreciated that if God could empower Job to
overcome the trials and tribulations of his life, then very
possible He could do the same for himself. So, Kevin decided to
place his trust in God and no longer in himself. After all, by
now, Kevin realized that he had let himself down several times
by decisions he made alone.
11I
tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to
what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our
testimony. 12I have spoken to you of earthly things
and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of
heavenly things? 13No one has ever gone into heaven
except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.[a]
14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so
the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who
believes in him may have eternal life.[b]
16"For
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[c]
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal
life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world
to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever
believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe
stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name
of God's one and only Son.[d]
19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world,
but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were
evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and
will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be
exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into
the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done
has been done through God."[e]
Joseph was Jacob’s most loved
son. According to the Bible, Joseph had a dream, and when he
told it to his brothers, they hated him. Joseph told them
“Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain
out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright,
while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”
(Genesis 37:5-8) Because of what Joseph said, they hated him
more.
Because of jealousy and envy,
Joseph’s brothers conspired to kill him. In particular, they
hated the fact that his dreams elevated him above themselves.
But they also hated the fact that Joseph was dearly loved by
their father Jacob. This jealousy and anger eventually led to a
plan to destroy Joseph. The anger and jealousy reached its peak
when Joseph was sold and betrayed for 20 pieces of silver.
After this transaction, Joseph was led to Egypt, where he later
gets accused of a crime, which he didn’t commit. For this,
Joseph gets imprisoned. While in custody, two servants of
Pharaoh were also thrown in prison with Joseph, one a cupbearer
and the other a baker. Each servant spoke to Joseph about a
dream they had had, which Joseph interpreted for them. (Genesis
40:4-5)
When Pharaoh learned about the
wisdom of Joseph, he sent for Joseph when he had a dream that no
one could interpret for him. After Joseph interpreted the
meaning of the dream for Pharaoh, he put Joseph in charge of his
entire palace. Joseph went from being condemned in prison to
being exalted to Pharaoh’s right hand in a single day.
Sometime later, a great famine
struck their region, leading Joseph’s brothers to travel to
Egypt to purchase some grain to avoid starvation and death.
This eventually led to a reconciliation of Joseph and his
brothers, which triggered great weeping when the brothers
realized that the one whom they had betrayed was not only alive,
but ruled over the entire land.
