The Hope of the Future
Yesterday, I
met the hope of the future. I’m not exaggerating even a bit. I was with a group
called College for Every Student; an organization---no, movement that uses
research on college preparedness and success management to locate, mentor and
see rural and inner-city first generation K-12 students to and through a
college career. (Read More)
I met young
folks who were kind and smart all at once. They knew what they wanted to be and
why. Their mentors could melt your heart by just looking at you and the business
partners from Ernst and Young were time travelers who had decided that the
future of investment was at this conference.
My mother
used to say that “Folks who need to be impressed haven’t done anything impressive,”
so I won’t tell you that I was impressed; I was moved to my core.
These were
my people. Having been found and mentored by amazing educators like, Karen
Denton, Leander Morris and Bebe Coker, I know what it’s like to have someone
believe in you even when you have a hard time believing in yourself.
I met a
young man whose father had accompanied him. The two seemed like best friends.
There were points where I could not tell which was which. After I spoke, the
son looked me in the eyes and told me that I would be in his heart forever; he
is just 17.
Here’s my
big what if; What if every student got to go to college and each one had
mentors and guides like Guinan on Star Trek? What if the colleges and businesses
came looking for students who read the most books and did the most acts of
kindness? What if helping out was our national sport and every year we had an Olympic
Dream Team of do-gooders?
I have an
early flight, so I’m still in the clouds, and I want to stay this way.
Dream a future for
every student.
Be you, be well, be a
dreamer.
Bertice Berry, PhD.
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