on the very first day of middle school I
remember being terrified and overwhelmed
by the newness of the faces in the
environment at lunch ten of my new
friends and I all squeezed together at a
table that only sat six the teachers
noticing this pattern announced over the
loudspeakers six students at a big table
and for students at a small table
suddenly the room went silent
every student all awkwardly and
nervously looking at each other seeing
who would move first this whole ordeal
turned into an exhausting game of
musical chairs the bell would ring we
would all dart down nine flights of
stairs and compete for a seat at one of
these tables the teachers would actually
come over and make us go move to sit
alone so flash-forward three grades in
the new school later I found myself in
my freshmen homeroom when I overheard a
conversation between my homeroom teacher
and an unfamiliar classmate I realized
that this girl had been sitting behind
me for the whole year but I didn’t her
name let alone anything about her
I made the incorrect assumptions that
simply because she wore hijab and always
sat quietly that she didn’t speak
English now something was missing
I was politically active I campaigned I
knocked on doors I believed in equality
and inclusion but I wasn’t actually
living it so I approached this girl and
I learned her name was kala and in
addition to learning her name I learned
of her incredible story of refuge from
Syria we began speaking every day and I
now had this new friend one who is so
kind so warm so diligent and smart I
went to her birthday party we shall
shared in our culture and music our
friendship enriched both of our lives
and I couldn’t help but think of the
other unfamiliar classmates I was
missing out on and who my peers were
missing out on
I didn’t regretted not meeting kala
sooner I missed out on so many months of
laughter kindness and friendship regret
must come with action kala shared with
me her negative experience in high
school thus far
she faced several instances of cultural
and tolerance and discrimination and it
wasn’t good enough for me to just put my
arm around her and say it’s gonna be
okay what about the other students
facing these experiences how could we
turn those into good ones there are four
point nine million English as a second
language students in the United States
that makes up approximately 10% of every
student body what about them I had to
not only put my arm around kala but
around the community and the student
body not just to comfort but to change
the experience that they faced I
brainstormed with my
english-as-a-second-language classmates
how can we create more friendships like
howl on mine two innovative teachers
lent their room for a think tank the
conversations I was lucky enough to have
with my english-as-a-second-language
classmates changed me forever I learned
of their rich culture experience and
knowledge but also their pain and
unimaginable struggles there is extra
who fled Iraq from al-qaeda to Syria to
flee Syria from Isis to Allderdice high
school to be a scientist who can and
will change the world
there’s valaria who came from a
struggling Venezuela a passionate lover
of physics and pigs
there’s Alexis from the Philippines Sara
from Saudi Arabia Liana from the Ukraine
they can make anybody smile who we are
from Iran Alber from Saudi Arabia two of
the kindest guys I’ve ever met who defy
all stereotypes Daniella a
first-generation American whose parents
are from Serbia and Macedonia truly the
smartest person I have ever met and each
unique student had something important
to share I need to cheer these stories
my classmates needed to hear these
stories the world needed to hear these
stories and I didn’t realize it at the
time but through those conversations I
was humanizing the meaning of immigrant
refugee in my brain I grew up in a
liberal household and I believed in
accepting immigrants and refugees but I
was never in a space where I could
develop an educated opinion based upon
real people in order to develop the next
generation of
leaders voters and Americans we must
humanize issues talk to communities and
listen to their stories and with this
group of brave and amazing students I
helped develop an outlet to do just that
we developed an after-school program
called global Minds global Minds bridges
native english-speaking students and
English as a second language students
through activities about human rights
diversity sustainable development and
international relations
that’s all paired with conversational
English practice to act as an
educational support system for ESL
students and to better educate native
English speaking students in order to
create more globally minded young
leaders so what does that look like how
Allah and I are paired up and through
our intercultural friendship I’m
overcoming stereotypes and
discrimination and she can receive
homework help or support navigating that
the school system and through that
connection we’re becoming the next
generation of globally minded young
leaders over the next year we engage
students from 25 different countries who
speak 16 different languages and over 30
hours of a hundred percent student-led
programming we painted a mural at the
Wilkins community center representing
immigration and unity illustrating our
stories with a local artist we went to
the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh had an
experiential learning day talked to
their executive director ate lunch with
their community went there called to
prayer and overcame Islamophobia head-on
we plastered the walls of Allderdice
high school with posters representing
countries typically portrayed negatively
in the media we had a global potluck
shared food danced honored each other
and invited our families to do the same
we developed global friendships we
talked about current events we
experienced the Trump administration
–zz first travel ban we smiled we
laughed we cried because that ban did in
fact impact our students we developed
empathy and compassion so did not only
support each other as neighbors but as
friends and suddenly the most important
part of the program began to shine
through as students were developing
intercultural friendships they started
gaining confidence and the power went
from me solely leading meeting
two students volunteering stepping up
saying I want to take a part in this and
Pittsburghers teenagers started making a
change in our community which can now be
reflected all throughout the world and
the word got out about it we appeared on
The Today Show we shared our stories in
the New York Times in the Pittsburgh
post-gazette we emphasized the
importance of student voice in Teen
Vogue and teachers and students from all
across the country in the world started
reaching out how can we start this
program in our community and we could
have never imagined the magnitude of
those requests teachers and students in
every community communities we didn’t
even know existed started reaching out
the social and academic disconnect
between native english-speaking students
and English as a second language
students was apparent in every community
we responded to those requests within a
hundred percent student-led curriculum
the resources guidance in platform for
them to start this program at their
school now with over four hundred and
fifty students across across six states
eleven schools and three countries I now
help lead a movement of kindness
inclusivity and welcoming everything
from grant writing to program
development to tax forms which are very
hard by the way are done by passionate
and compassionate youth hala and I sat
every morning freshman year doing math
science history homework and at the
beginning we were strangers bonding over
our disinterest in the quadratic formula
and photosynthesis but as the year went
on we grew together and she taught me
the power of Education hala shared with
me one morning this year that she didn’t
think she could be a lawyer because
someone told her it would be too hard
simply because she wore a hijab now I
was very upset at this so I took out my
phone and I googled Muslim lawyers and
tons of people showed up that just
looked like her now think about that a
human being looking in Paola’s eyes and
saying you can’t now kala will be
whatever she wants to be because kayla
is incredible and being incredible
doesn’t come from
color of your skin or whatever you wear
on your head it comes from your heart
and how has one of those like none other
kala changed my life life is exclusive
it’s all about being chosen being
selective but it’s essential to our
humanity that we create spaces for
everyone especially in high school we
started Global mines on Tuesday at
Alderdice for a second year and we had
84 students show up that is a very big
space that is a very long table but it’s
worth pulling up a couple chairs
scooting together to make sure everyone
fits we can all learn from each other
conversations change minds and changed
minds change the world so let me bring
it back to my story about middle school
you know the kid that didn’t always have
a seat at the table a lot of times I was
that kid I know how it feels and at some
point in your life you have felt that
pain of exclusion or longing to belong
you know how it feels so the next time
you’re in the lunchroom
whether that applies to your adult life
or if you’re still in high school I
invite you to come sit with me at the
table for everyone
[Applause]
you
remember being terrified and overwhelmed
by the newness of the faces in the
environment at lunch ten of my new
friends and I all squeezed together at a
table that only sat six the teachers
noticing this pattern announced over the
loudspeakers six students at a big table
and for students at a small table
suddenly the room went silent
every student all awkwardly and
nervously looking at each other seeing
who would move first this whole ordeal
turned into an exhausting game of
musical chairs the bell would ring we
would all dart down nine flights of
stairs and compete for a seat at one of
these tables the teachers would actually
come over and make us go move to sit
alone so flash-forward three grades in
the new school later I found myself in
my freshmen homeroom when I overheard a
conversation between my homeroom teacher
and an unfamiliar classmate I realized
that this girl had been sitting behind
me for the whole year but I didn’t her
name let alone anything about her
I made the incorrect assumptions that
simply because she wore hijab and always
sat quietly that she didn’t speak
English now something was missing
I was politically active I campaigned I
knocked on doors I believed in equality
and inclusion but I wasn’t actually
living it so I approached this girl and
I learned her name was kala and in
addition to learning her name I learned
of her incredible story of refuge from
Syria we began speaking every day and I
now had this new friend one who is so
kind so warm so diligent and smart I
went to her birthday party we shall
shared in our culture and music our
friendship enriched both of our lives
and I couldn’t help but think of the
other unfamiliar classmates I was
missing out on and who my peers were
missing out on
I didn’t regretted not meeting kala
sooner I missed out on so many months of
laughter kindness and friendship regret
must come with action kala shared with
me her negative experience in high
school thus far
she faced several instances of cultural
and tolerance and discrimination and it
wasn’t good enough for me to just put my
arm around her and say it’s gonna be
okay what about the other students
facing these experiences how could we
turn those into good ones there are four
point nine million English as a second
language students in the United States
that makes up approximately 10% of every
student body what about them I had to
not only put my arm around kala but
around the community and the student
body not just to comfort but to change
the experience that they faced I
brainstormed with my
english-as-a-second-language classmates
how can we create more friendships like
howl on mine two innovative teachers
lent their room for a think tank the
conversations I was lucky enough to have
with my english-as-a-second-language
classmates changed me forever I learned
of their rich culture experience and
knowledge but also their pain and
unimaginable struggles there is extra
who fled Iraq from al-qaeda to Syria to
flee Syria from Isis to Allderdice high
school to be a scientist who can and
will change the world
there’s valaria who came from a
struggling Venezuela a passionate lover
of physics and pigs
there’s Alexis from the Philippines Sara
from Saudi Arabia Liana from the Ukraine
they can make anybody smile who we are
from Iran Alber from Saudi Arabia two of
the kindest guys I’ve ever met who defy
all stereotypes Daniella a
first-generation American whose parents
are from Serbia and Macedonia truly the
smartest person I have ever met and each
unique student had something important
to share I need to cheer these stories
my classmates needed to hear these
stories the world needed to hear these
stories and I didn’t realize it at the
time but through those conversations I
was humanizing the meaning of immigrant
refugee in my brain I grew up in a
liberal household and I believed in
accepting immigrants and refugees but I
was never in a space where I could
develop an educated opinion based upon
real people in order to develop the next
generation of
leaders voters and Americans we must
humanize issues talk to communities and
listen to their stories and with this
group of brave and amazing students I
helped develop an outlet to do just that
we developed an after-school program
called global Minds global Minds bridges
native english-speaking students and
English as a second language students
through activities about human rights
diversity sustainable development and
international relations
that’s all paired with conversational
English practice to act as an
educational support system for ESL
students and to better educate native
English speaking students in order to
create more globally minded young
leaders so what does that look like how
Allah and I are paired up and through
our intercultural friendship I’m
overcoming stereotypes and
discrimination and she can receive
homework help or support navigating that
the school system and through that
connection we’re becoming the next
generation of globally minded young
leaders over the next year we engage
students from 25 different countries who
speak 16 different languages and over 30
hours of a hundred percent student-led
programming we painted a mural at the
Wilkins community center representing
immigration and unity illustrating our
stories with a local artist we went to
the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh had an
experiential learning day talked to
their executive director ate lunch with
their community went there called to
prayer and overcame Islamophobia head-on
we plastered the walls of Allderdice
high school with posters representing
countries typically portrayed negatively
in the media we had a global potluck
shared food danced honored each other
and invited our families to do the same
we developed global friendships we
talked about current events we
experienced the Trump administration
–zz first travel ban we smiled we
laughed we cried because that ban did in
fact impact our students we developed
empathy and compassion so did not only
support each other as neighbors but as
friends and suddenly the most important
part of the program began to shine
through as students were developing
intercultural friendships they started
gaining confidence and the power went
from me solely leading meeting
two students volunteering stepping up
saying I want to take a part in this and
Pittsburghers teenagers started making a
change in our community which can now be
reflected all throughout the world and
the word got out about it we appeared on
The Today Show we shared our stories in
the New York Times in the Pittsburgh
post-gazette we emphasized the
importance of student voice in Teen
Vogue and teachers and students from all
across the country in the world started
reaching out how can we start this
program in our community and we could
have never imagined the magnitude of
those requests teachers and students in
every community communities we didn’t
even know existed started reaching out
the social and academic disconnect
between native english-speaking students
and English as a second language
students was apparent in every community
we responded to those requests within a
hundred percent student-led curriculum
the resources guidance in platform for
them to start this program at their
school now with over four hundred and
fifty students across across six states
eleven schools and three countries I now
help lead a movement of kindness
inclusivity and welcoming everything
from grant writing to program
development to tax forms which are very
hard by the way are done by passionate
and compassionate youth hala and I sat
every morning freshman year doing math
science history homework and at the
beginning we were strangers bonding over
our disinterest in the quadratic formula
and photosynthesis but as the year went
on we grew together and she taught me
the power of Education hala shared with
me one morning this year that she didn’t
think she could be a lawyer because
someone told her it would be too hard
simply because she wore a hijab now I
was very upset at this so I took out my
phone and I googled Muslim lawyers and
tons of people showed up that just
looked like her now think about that a
human being looking in Paola’s eyes and
saying you can’t now kala will be
whatever she wants to be because kayla
is incredible and being incredible
doesn’t come from
color of your skin or whatever you wear
on your head it comes from your heart
and how has one of those like none other
kala changed my life life is exclusive
it’s all about being chosen being
selective but it’s essential to our
humanity that we create spaces for
everyone especially in high school we
started Global mines on Tuesday at
Alderdice for a second year and we had
84 students show up that is a very big
space that is a very long table but it’s
worth pulling up a couple chairs
scooting together to make sure everyone
fits we can all learn from each other
conversations change minds and changed
minds change the world so let me bring
it back to my story about middle school
you know the kid that didn’t always have
a seat at the table a lot of times I was
that kid I know how it feels and at some
point in your life you have felt that
pain of exclusion or longing to belong
you know how it feels so the next time
you’re in the lunchroom
whether that applies to your adult life
or if you’re still in high school I
invite you to come sit with me at the
table for everyone
[Applause]
you
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