I do not, I repeat, I do not have favorite students. But I remember so clearly when this young lady had just moved back to the states from Guinea and was a quiet, mild mannered young lady walking the halls of Bartram High School. I remember her working diligently over a language barrier (she had spoken french mostly, her English was so so) and a skills gap to still try hard in her classes and be tutored so graciously by our EducationWorks crew. My eyes water when I think of the little times; her dancing in my short lived Pan African Dance club, her laughing as she grew more comfortable in her skin and Philadelphia, and her acing a job interview a few months later. The next year she moved, but still reached out to me when she found out I no longer served at Bartram, but she also began to blossom as a student and a person, participating in a college preparatory program, developing career goals and chasing her dreams. She has progressed to the point of looking past her own struggle, and to the struggles of others. If you have the means, I beg you please help this student go on a once in lifetime journey. She really has earned it.
Posted on: Sat, 11 Oct 2014 21:07:24 +0000