Instagram story viewer> @iamderontecraig> Tagged

DeRonte C Craig

@iamderontecraig

8.2K

followers

7737

following

I was put on this earth to wake up, Inspire, and shake the world 🌎
💻| Digital Marketing - @nine27.co
🛫| Private Pilot - @checkride.coach
🎤| 🌎 Speaker

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

#WhereAreTheyWednesday 2015 vs. 2026 On this Wonderful Wednesday, we are lifting up one of ScholarCHIPS All-Star OGs Mr. DeRonte Craig @iamderontecraig ! The first picture below is of Mr. Craig when he first became a ScholarCHIPS scholar at our annual awards ceremony. He had just graduated from high school and was heading into his freshman year at Bowie State University! The second picture is of Mr. Craig 11 years later serving as the MC of ScholarCHIPS’ 15th Annual Awards Ceremony!

Mr. Craig is truly thriving! A graduate of both Bowie State University and the University of California Irvine, he is an entrepreneur - founder of his own marketing firm Nine27, the author of a ebook, a certified private pilot, a consultant, and fitness enthusiast!

At ScholarCHIPS, we are not the typical scholarship program. We are not a one and done. We are invested in our scholars’ and alumni success LONG-TERM! And our alumni return each year to mentor our younger scholars, give back and pay it forward. We are building a powerful tribe of young people who have overcome the challenges of having an incarcerated parent and so much more. And they are utilizing their education, degrees, skills, charisma, and so much more to literally change their communities and the world!

To learn more about ScholarCHIPS on how to get involved, how to become a mentor and how to donate/invest in the futures of some incredible, deserving college-bound students, please visit our LinkTree in our IG bio.

66

7

#Recap YOU JUST HAD TO BE THERE!!! ScholarCHIPS’ 15th Annual Awards Ceremony on July 10, 2026 was one for the books!! A special thanks to our OG @iamderontecraig for MCing the program and to advocate, @graduateisabel for serving as our keynote speaker! 🎤 Many thanks to our incredible alumni who rolled deep to represent and introduce our new scholars!! And a special shout out to our new scholars…Cohort 15 and your loved ones who traveled from near and far to participate in the awards ceremony! Welcome to the family! 🥹🥹🥰❤️🎉🎉🎉

Friends, ScholarCHIPS has officially launched our 15 for 15 campaign. If you have ever wanted or been meaning to support ScholarCHIPS and our scholars along on their college journeys, now is your chance! Please visit the LinkTree in our bio to learn ways that you can support and donate 🙏🏽❤️ #ChildrenofIncarceratedParents #COIPS

32

0

#SneakPeek Take 1 - Another successful and amazing @scholarchipsfunddc Awards Ceremony this year on July 10, 2026 at The National Press Club in Washington, DC! 🥹 We celebrated 15 Years of Impact and our 15th Cohort in grand style! 🥹🥹😍😍 Of course this brief slideshow doesn’t capture it all. More photos and thanks to come ❤️💕 My heart is full and overflowing with joy and gratitude to EVERY SINGLE person…alumna, alumnus, volunteer, donor, funding partner, mentor, intern, fellow, scholar, parent, partner, and team member and event program participant, who pressed their way and traveled from near and far to participate and celebrate this incredible milestone and our 15th cohort of 26 scholars with us! You are seen, you are loved and you are deeply appreciated! I will save my long reflective posts for later) #ScholarCHIPS #Legacy #MakingCollegeEducationAccessible #HistoryintheMaking

These incredible shots by THE ONE AND ONLY Mr. Demetric Blyther of @_unitedphotography_ and @unitedmediaco 📸 😍😍

50

2

Yes, he’s one of our OGs, but this ain’t Love Island! 😂😂 We are too elated that ScholarCHIPS Alumnus, DeRonte Craig @iamderontecraig , Class of 2015 has returned to DC all the way from Cali to MC ScholarCHIPS’ 15th Annual Awards Ceremony!! You heard him! Meet him tomorrow, Friday, July 10th at The National Press Club at 1 pm 😆🙌🏾🙌🏼

20

2

Double Phi Chapter. Ace. Calldog. Tictoc. Rock. Charter Member. 🦍

Dean: @imjustke__
ADP: @iamderontecraig
Journie's Father: @drjdtheot
MHBB Tr3maker: @lxnd3.n__

Ace/Calldog/TicToc/Rock: @fulli.harold
Duece/Tail: @keymncole

📸: @dijonshotz / @dijon.0011

593

67

Hereafter, there will be no misunderstanding!

The Phi Phi Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. is proud to announce their Spring 2026 Charter Line:

Ikhemu-Sek: The Ones Not Knowing Destruction

ACE | Harold Fullilove III
@fulli.harold
DEUCE | Keymn Cole
@keymncole

Congratulations to the Phi Phi Chapter, recognized as the FIRST Divine Nine organization to be chartered on the campus of Chapman University. 🤙🏾

#chapmanalphas #apa1906
#alphawest #loveforallmankind

536

47

Brotherhood | Business | Legacy

😤

140

1

A lot of student pilots think getting lost is just an inconvenience. Something you can fix by flying a little farther and hoping something starts to look familiar.

That is exactly where people get into trouble.
In a real checkride, and in real life, “I’ll just keep flying” is not a plan. It means you are burning fuel, increasing stress, and making it more likely that you drift into worse weather, the wrong airspace, or a much bigger problem.

The examiner is not just listening for confidence. They are listening for judgment.
A strong answer shows that you know how to slow the situation down, maintain aircraft control, use your resources, get help if needed, and make smart decisions before a small mistake turns into an emergency.

That is how one weak answer can cost you the checkride and an expensive retest.

Checkride Coach helps student pilots go beyond memorizing answers so you can think through real scenarios, understand what the examiner is actually looking for, and show up ready for the oral.

#CheckrideCoach #StudentPilot #CheckridePrep #PrivatePilot #OralExam

4k

113

Sometimes student pilots assume being current automatically means they are ready to fly. But that is not always true.

You might be legal on paper because you meet the recent experience requirement, like having the right takeoffs and landings within 90 days. But proficiency is different. Proficiency is about whether you are actually sharp, confident, and capable of making that flight safely.

That is where a lot of people get tripped up.
The examiner is not just looking for whether you know the rule. They want to know whether you understand the difference between being legally current and actually prepared to take passengers up.

That is how one simple scenario question can turn into a failed checkride and an expensive retest.

Checkride Coach helps student pilots go beyond memorizing answers so you can understand the why behind the rules, think through real scenarios, and show up more prepared for the oral.

#CheckrideCoach #StudentPilot #CheckridePrep #PrivatePilot #OralExam

4k

38

How to lose $1500 over one night currency mistake.

It sounds small, but this is the kind of question that can end your checkride before the engine even starts.

To carry passengers at night, you need 3 takeoffs and 3 landings to a full stop within the last 90 days, and they must be done during the period from 1 hour after sunset to 1 hour before sunrise. Not just “at night.” Not just “after sunset.”

That one detail matters.

Checkride Coach helps you understand the rules behind the answers so you can walk into your oral prepared, confident, and ready.

#CheckridePrep #StudentPilot #PrivatePilot

896

21

A simple misunderstanding can cost you your checkride... $1,500+ down the drain.

The question seems easy: Can your friend pay for the flight? But if you don’t understand pro rata share, that one answer can end the oral before you ever touch the airplane. As a private pilot, you must pay at least your equal share of the flight’s operating expenses. Your passenger cannot just cover everything.

This is why memorizing is not enough.

Checkride Coach helps student pilots understand FAA concepts, practice for the oral, and avoid the small mistakes that turn into expensive failures.

#CheckrideCoach #Checkride #StudentPilot #PrivatePilot #PilotTraining

544

7

The oral exam is where most checkrides get failed... not in the air. 🎙️✈️

That's why I built CheckRide Coach; an AI that simulates your actual oral exam so you're never caught off guard by an examiner.

Early access is open, link in bio 🔗

#checkride #studentpilot #privatepilot #ppl #pilot

47

0