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On Saturday, April 27th, we had the opportunity to attend a Teach For America Summit at Delta State University with Ms. Williams in Cleveland, MS. We were invited to talk about our website, Inside Her Diary in front of over 100 people that consisted of teachers, students, staff, and guests. Could you imagine our nerves when we first arrived at Delta State? There were so many people! We saw a lot of new faces, but the warm smiles from the adults as well as the support they gave us made us feel very comfortable.
In our presentation, each of us talked about a diary entry that we believed was a huge problem that's in our school. For instance, A'keirah shared Entry#5 about the use of the "G" word (gay) and how kids use it offensively when they are describing someone who is homosexual. She also shared how people use this term as a joke. It was amazing to see people way older than us, supporting what she had to say with firm head nods and snaps.
De'shana further engaged the audience by sharing her thoughts on Entry#2, What My Life Would Be Like 6 Years From Now. She proudly stated that she wants to go to Stanford University in California, as well as be Valedictorian or the Salutatorian of her high school. She told the audience that she had big educational goals for herself and believes that nothing will stop her in achieving them. Girls can do it.
The other girls, Kalynn and Jusmenda spoke passionately about their diary entries, Entry #1: Growing Up as a young Girl in Clarksdale and Entry#4: Relationships as well. For Kalynn, she highlighted that there are not as many opportunities for girls as they are for boys in Clarksdale, and that she is surrounded by gang activity and teen pregnancy. Despite her environment, she mentioned how important her family is to her in making sure that she stays on the right path and reach her goals. For Jusmenda, she believed that it was very important that we have healthy and real relationships. She mentioned that many kids do not have real friends at school or family members. This reality makes her careful of what kind relationship she should have with people and how she is the person that she is today because of the relationship she has with her mom.
When we were done speaking, we could tell by the looks on Ms. Williams' face and everyone else's that they were impressed by what we had to say. Even though we are only in middle school, we seen as "wise" and "mature" for our age. This experience has definitely motivated us to speak out more and be a voice for change.
In our presentation, each of us talked about a diary entry that we believed was a huge problem that's in our school. For instance, A'keirah shared Entry#5 about the use of the "G" word (gay) and how kids use it offensively when they are describing someone who is homosexual. She also shared how people use this term as a joke. It was amazing to see people way older than us, supporting what she had to say with firm head nods and snaps.
De'shana further engaged the audience by sharing her thoughts on Entry#2, What My Life Would Be Like 6 Years From Now. She proudly stated that she wants to go to Stanford University in California, as well as be Valedictorian or the Salutatorian of her high school. She told the audience that she had big educational goals for herself and believes that nothing will stop her in achieving them. Girls can do it.
The other girls, Kalynn and Jusmenda spoke passionately about their diary entries, Entry #1: Growing Up as a young Girl in Clarksdale and Entry#4: Relationships as well. For Kalynn, she highlighted that there are not as many opportunities for girls as they are for boys in Clarksdale, and that she is surrounded by gang activity and teen pregnancy. Despite her environment, she mentioned how important her family is to her in making sure that she stays on the right path and reach her goals. For Jusmenda, she believed that it was very important that we have healthy and real relationships. She mentioned that many kids do not have real friends at school or family members. This reality makes her careful of what kind relationship she should have with people and how she is the person that she is today because of the relationship she has with her mom.
When we were done speaking, we could tell by the looks on Ms. Williams' face and everyone else's that they were impressed by what we had to say. Even though we are only in middle school, we seen as "wise" and "mature" for our age. This experience has definitely motivated us to speak out more and be a voice for change.
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