Okay, @akbar_offishio The Shoe Game and the Quick Center Conversations Were Spot On Yesterday

It's all getting real and I am happy to have Akbaru Niyonkuru with me for the Ubuntu journey - a young man who has gone from Ubuntu Academy all the way to first year freshman at Fairfield University. Today, we delivered standing posters to the Quick Center, which will be displayed for the month. 

If you don't know, the special movie screening is a part of the Saugatuck Story Fest, a literary celebration in southern Connecticut.

To reserve a spot for Hoops Africa: Ubuntu Matters on October 11th, click here.

To learn about all the incredible writers coming to southern Connecticut after the Hoops Africa event from October 12-14th, click here.

October is going to be an incredible month and I'm trying to be sure that all the i's are crossed and t's are dotted (pun intended). 

Akbar has been central to all of this. As a member of the Saugatuck Story Fest, he was central to conversations about bringing Nic Stone and Jason Reynolds to the event. Also, as a young man who participated with Fairfield University's Men's Basketball collaborations through Ubuntu Academy, he sees the power of sports and literacy (and poetry) for his own achievement. He's benefited from Fairfield University's mentoring program, the Connecticut Writing Project, and the Saugatuck Story Fest collaboration. 

Phew. It's awesome.

What's also awesome is having Akbaru on campus so he can stop by my office on a daily basis to check in (and look for food), but also to check up on the shoe game. Proud to know he's a STAG at the University and that his charm is slowly captivating the undergraduate arm of our campus. He has tremendous magic in his soul, but also knows that all that stands ahead is hard work, perseverance, dedication, and focus.

Actually, as he and I discussed yesterday, it is integrity, a sense of humor, focus, self awareness, self-esteem and Ubuntu. He says he's working on integrity and sense of humor the most his first year on campus.

There's so much to write after a day like yesterday, but there's also a huge weekend ahead that requires my full attention. So, for today, I'm going to focus on our shoes and our campus collaborations. Excited to be part of both.