Harlem
Langston Hughes
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
Copyright Credit: Langston Hughes, “Harlem” from The Collected Works of Langston Hughes. Copyright © 2002 by Langston Hughes. Reprinted by permission of Harold Ober Associates, Inc.
To be transparent, the last few months have also been difficult – I have met with numerous scholars who have had to defer due to personal circumstances or concerns regarding the state of education. To that end, I struggled to imagine what I could say in this newsletter to fully encapsulate this moment, a tension of both hope, sadness, and awareness. However, during my second Jimmy Fund Walk, I think I figured it out.
As I waved to the young cancer patients at Dana-Farber and took my first steps of the 5K, I realized that is all we can do. Put one foot in front of the other, even though we are vulnerable. Throughout the walk, I thought of how so many people in our community are affected by cancer – and yet we all continue to do our best. Those lessons, however small, apply to my feelings about our current reality in higher education. We may not know the outcome, but we can continue to move forward as best we can. To some degree, that is what our scholars are doing.
Over the last few months, IRT Scholars joined us in the Summer Workshop and began advising with us for their upcoming graduate school applications. I have been in awe of their dedication, perseverance, and ability to think beyond the immediate challenges during such uncertain times. They joined us in virtual classes, focusing on writing, and heard from IRT alums on how they navigated their academic programs. Finally, scholars began crafting and eventually finalizing their school list. Currently, scholars are writing their statement of purpose (SOP) and preparing their applications ahead of the December deadlines. I personally enjoy this opportunity as I get to hear from scholars how transformative it is to meet and work with IRT alums who serve as their advisors. Furthermore, it enables scholars to envision their research as practical and real, allowing them to continue seeing their dream expand.
We all continue to think of ways to dream together and improve education in our society. IRT supports scholars from all backgrounds in reaching their dreams if they are interested in the fields we support (arts & sciences, humanities, education, STEM education). Our scholars are evaluated on their academic background, their fit for IRT (which includes receiving coaching and feedback), writing background, and recommendations. If you are aware of institutions or programs that may be interested in supporting these dreams, please let us know. Finally, our alumni continue to show the realities of these dreams. We continue to be proud of the work you are doing in your communities at this urgent time.
Please continue to reach out to each other and the IRT office for any support.
Institute for Recruitment of Teachers 