KNOXVILLE, Tenn — Dipakkumar Patel admires a lot about his little brother, Devin, like the time he spontaneously shaved his head right before this interview.
"One day he just texted me and said, 'I think I'm going to go bald' and we show up this morning and it's there," Patel laughed.
"I was like, if Dipak said he was going bald would he go bald? He probably would so I was like I'll go bald too," Devin smiled.
The rising high school junior isn't afraid of taking chances.
When we first met Devin two years ago he was just getting the hang of band practice.
"Social skills were not a strong suit for me. I was always nervous to get in front of a crowd. I was always nervous to talk to people," Devin said. "Freshman year I was like, I think I want to be drum major!"
Two years later, Devin's goal became a reality. .
"Now I can say I told you so because I am now drum major," he smiled.
Patel doesn't take their friendship for granted, especially during the pandemic.
"He's helped me as much as I help him in just dealing with things in everyday life," Patel said.
He says learning from his little brother has been inspirational since they were matched two years ago through Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee.
"The challenges that they face are every bit as tough as a grown adult, so it just goes to show that the tool kit is there and they serve as a reminder that whatever kind of challenges you have you can face them," Patel said.
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Devin is ready to face those challenges with his mentor for a long time to come.
"He's the kind of man that I want to be," Devin said.
Even if he can't convince him yet to shave his head, too.
"Well, if it happens we can be the bald twins," Devin laughed.
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