There Are Moments When I Collect Myself. Phew. @CwpFairfield @SUSchoolofEd UBUNTU @fairfieldu

When I finished my doctorate in 2012, after having the privilege of learning with 8 African-born male refugee youth enrolled in mainstream English classes, I was forever grateful to them for sharing their lives with me. I knew that my life would not be complete if I couldn't find a way for them to share their lives with others, too.

My dissertation, after all, was called A Responsibility To Speak Out, and I highlighted their views of the U.S. and the importance they felt for sharing their stories, especially as developing writers. The research was conducted in 2010, but I've been mentoring them since 2008. Today, the work continues.

Fast Forward. Insert scrolling tape noise here. It 10 years later.

Yesterday, two of my research participants presented their life stories to over 60 American-born and refugee-born youth at Fairfield University. This is the 5th year of Ubuntu Academy and Project Citizen and the program continues to grow and grow. I am thankful, too, that I've been able to hire my research participants from back in the day to be residential experts in the programs I've created at Fairfield University (including two young men who are now in the process of becoming public school educators).

This is Ubuntu, and although I was on the ground floor, three layers below, working with teachings in a National Writing Project institute, I ran upstairs to see Ali and Abu present. I had to duck out early, but it thrilled me to see teachers, youth from a Lakota Indian reservation, recently arrived youth through CIRI, and American-born youth working on political writing all enthralled with the story they presented.

The scars are what got us this far.

I was equally delighted that the National Writing Project sent their photographer, Jason, to capture the entire experience for our network (tomorrow will be another amazing day). While stragglers were left on the bottom floor before Abu and Ali's presentation, we all hitched a ride with the elevator and Jason's film equipment. I couldn't help but say, "Let's do a selfie, team. We'd better capture the photographer before he documents us."

This is team Harding and I'm sure Principal Kathy Silver would be proud. This is the first year they're joining our summer writing programs and they are changing our lives each and every day.

Here's to the 210 youth we're serving this summer and all the amazing teachers we work with!

Nancy Cantor called this Scholarship in Action while I was at 'Cuse. I carry those words with me in everything I do (and the bags under my eyes are proof).

What is scholarship, if we can't act on it in our own lives?