WATERLOO -- The Sallis brothers are all about breaking stereotypes.

Derek and Ryan grew up in east Waterloo, graduated from East High and come from a minority household. If public perception is right, the brothers said, the odds of being successful young men and making a difference in their community aren't good.

Never tell them the odds.

Derek, 27, is teaching at the University of Northern Iowa while earning a master's degree in performance and training technology for instructional design. Ryan, 25, earns a good living at John Deere and serves in the Iowa Army National Guard. And both are coaching and molding young men at their alma mater.

"East High," and east Waterloo, "was labeled 'the bad part.' It's not," said Ryan. "The diversity here is great."

Diversity - emphasized during Black History Month - is what makes Waterloo special, the brothers say. Ryan - married with a 4-year-old son and another child on the way - has no intention of moving. Derek is single and also plans to stay, as long as he can find a good job after graduating in May.

The Sallises are firm believers in giving back to their community. They're focusing their efforts on the youth, the future of Waterloo.

One of the best ways to connect with young people, they believe, is through sports. Both men coach sports they excelled in while attending East. Derek is an assistant varsity and sophomore basketball coach. Ryan is an assistant in the wrestling program.

"I'm helping them reach goals. They (student-athletes) know they have to work hard … not just on the basketball court," Derek said. "We're molding youth to grow into young men."

He also volunteers with SHOUT! Ministries, a community outreach organization that revolves around God. Ryan returned last July from his second deployment overseas with the Waterloo-based 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry. He was awarded an Army Commendation Medal with valor for his actions during a battle in Baghdad, Iraq.

Leading by example is the best way to show young people success is in their reach, and stereotypes don't mean a thing, the brothers said. Sometimes they relate their own experiences growing up to youngsters as examples.

As children of two teachers at Logan Middle School, the Sallises said the family was comfortable financially. The value of education always was stressed.

However, being sons of a biracial couple - their dad is black and their mom is white - posed its own challenges.

"We saw the ugliness (of racism) on both sides. At times we weren't white enough or black enough," Ryan said.

"That gave us a tough skin," Derek interjected.

"It taught us to overcome life's obstacles. You're never going to please everyone," Ryan concluded.

Whether it is skin color, financial status or where a person is raised, the brothers said, stereotypes will be attached. But if young people believe in themselves and not what other people think, good things can happen.

The Sallis brothers are perfect examples.

"That's why we're willing to step forward to contribute and help the community," Derek said. "Minority role models ï½ there can never be enough."

Contact Matthew Wilde

at (319) 291-1579

or matt.wilde@wcfcourier.com.