Yesterday Nahjee told me that I should be a therapist. I pshawed her: I have no such training! Later on, during my shift at AlleyNYC‘s front desk, I got into a conversation with one of the guests. Within ten minutes—before we’d even traded names—I’d managed to find out about his Read more…
It would take a long paragraph to list out all the awards and honors that Nahjee has won, but I won’t go into any of it here because I’m convinced that the foundation of a positive self concept is not built on the external validation you get from jumping through Read more…
Back at home from a full day of being out and about talking to people about exciting projects in the works, and my silly caveman brain is unsettling me. A certain wise man warned me at the very beginning (and repeatedly ever since) that dealing with uncertainty would be the Read more…
[For Lindsay] Many, many thanks for sharing your thoughts and insights on this blog. It was such an honor to host your debut. Your contributions fit in seamlessly and I loved getting a bit more of a peek into your interior life. Writing publicly can be scary, yes, but the possibility Read more…
Guest post by Lindsay Adamski: “The best way for a young person to build character is for him to attempt something where there is a real and serious possibility of failure.” (Paul Tough, p. 85). All of the reading that I have done these past few weeks has made me Read more…
I think I can come clean about a couple of things now that this retreat has come and gone: First is that I’ve wanted to go on a retreat with this group since I first started talking to Amy Chou about working with them last summer, so this past weekend was quite literally a dream come true. Second is that when Amy asked me if helping youth organizations draft mission statements and constitutions was part of the work I did, I kinda’ fibbed when I said yes. The truth was more along the lines of yes, it’s work I would like to do, but no, it’s not work I’ve ever done before. When she engaged my services I remember hanging up the phone and wondering what I had just gotten myself into.
Here I am, about a year later, so very lucky to have spent two days in Jersey with this lovely bunch:
In the order that they appear in my photo stream, I’d like to say a few words about each of these fine folks. (more…)
Two friends now have mentioned they thought of me while reading Jill Lepore’s latest New Yorker piece. The news brings a wistful smile to my face because in my past life I wanted to grow up to be Jill Lepore. She is the rare scholar who builds bridges effortlessly between history Read more…
This young man: Brian wrote a gorgeous essay demonstrating his outstanding leadership skills, a strong commitment to his community, and his determination and ability to overcome the barriers to academic success. Last night we went out to Dave & Buster’s to celebrate his success. So very proud of him.
[For Nahjee] My husband and I got a big ol’ chuckle yesterday from your assumption that I was an extrovert. If I am the most extroverted person you know, you need to get out more (HA!), because in my not-so-secret life I’m a classic introvert. In fact, I have a Read more…
I’ve been champing at the bit to introduce the people with whom I am privileged to work. Getting everyone to write a short bio for the first time was a significant task, but check out the results. I’d say it was worth the wait. Introducing… Candice Miller is a skilled researcher Read more…