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I experienced a familiar yet profound moment two weeks ago — welcoming a recently accepted student to the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). This simple act reminded me of the numerous times I've been part of committees or had roles where I've had the privilege of inform individuals of receiving a scholarship, fellowship or admission.
During 1999–2004, I was an active volunteer on the Young Executive Board of the Washington Scholarship Fund. There were many ways to volunteer, but my favorite was being a committee member calling low-income parents to let them know a child had been awarded a partial scholarship. The responses were usually screams and shouts of "Hallelujah!" and "Praise the Lord!" as well as various expletives used to express joy.
Out of the many calls, I will never forget the single dad who threatened violence against me if I was joking about his daughter receiving a partial scholarship. I had been the main person to walk him through the application process, and he considered me to be a mentor although he had more worldly experiences and challenges. Before we lost touch, he told me more than once that the direction of his daughter's life had been changed.
I enjoyed making those calls and would spend hours doing so. It wasn't always great news. In some cases, the families were in such unstable situations that we couldn't reach them to give them the news. That became a lesson learned for me as I sought backup ways to contact them.
More recently, it has been joyful in my work with Freedom Speakers International to welcome North Korean refugees into our community. More than 500 North Korean refugees have studied English, public speaking and career development with us.
Out of many memorable cases was a North Korean refugee who attended our orientation even though she was on our waiting list. Another applicant dropped out at the last minute, so the eager North Korean refugee was able to join. When she had a chance to speak during the matching session with volunteers, she explained how important this opportunity was for her. She had attempted suicide after her family had been captured in China after she was featured in a Korean-language article. She had been struggling with life in general before she learned about us. She felt it was a life-changing moment, and she was one of our most determined students.
I am reflecting on those cases after I recently had my status upgraded by the Harvard Graduate School of Education so I could make calls as an approved Alumni Admissions Ambassador.
When HGSE asked if I would be willing to call an incoming student, I said I could handle three or four. Two weeks ago, I had an incredible Zoom call with a student who will be starting at HGSE this September. After that talk, I connected her with my former advisor and mentor, who led the charge for me to be admitted to HGSE long ago. I keep that professor updated about my activities so she can celebrate the decision she made to support my application.
When I join organizations or causes, I typically join the welcoming or celebratory committee, or I create one. Talking with people at that key moment reminds me of my previous successes and also inspires me to create more opportunities for people to have celebrations.
I celebrate success, personal fulfillment, even participation trophies and other things that celebrate life, achievement and effort. Not everyone agrees with me and that's fine.
During an international seminar last year, a North Korean refugee praised me as her "life mentor" and said I had changed her life. The South Korean professor who was moderator of the panel grumbled in a final statement about the "danger" of mentoring relationships being unbalanced.
The South Korean professor's comment could have been a misunderstanding, misinterpretation, a summation of his own failed mentoring experiences, or perhaps an ill-conceived attempt at humor. Over the years, I have heard such comments from people who don't understand what a compliment it is, as a mentor, to have people seek you out for counsel and to have something worth celebrating because of the relationship.
In a 2015 Korea Times column, I wrote about Leonard E. Read (1898–1983), founder of the Foundation for Economic Education, discussing different levels of leadership. He was advising advocates of economic freedom to aim for a level of excellence "which will inspire others to seek him as a tutor."
Nine years ago when I wrote that, I said I had not reached that level of leadership of which Read spoke, but I was starting to see signs because more people were reaching out to me for mentoring and counsel. I now mentor two students in the Harvard Graduate School of Education's Student-Alumni Mentoring Initiative. Last week, I was matched as the mentor for a student in the HGSE First-Generation Student Organization.
Not only do I still have individuals reaching out to me for mentoring and counseling, but even a top university like Harvard University has me serving in various roles. It isn't as thrilling as 20 years ago when I was making calls to low-income families, shouting "Hallelujah!" and "Praise the Lord!" Still, it is inspiring to be part of the welcoming party for people striving for and achieving their goals.
Casey Lartigue Jr. (CJL@alumni.harvard.edu) is the co-founder of Freedom Speakers International with Lee Eun-koo and co-author with Han Song-mi of her memoir "Greenlight to Freedom.”
Is anyone seeking your counsel?
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31.03.2024
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I experienced a familiar yet profound moment two weeks ago — welcoming a recently accepted student to the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). This simple act reminded me of the numerous times I've been part of committees or had roles where I've had the privilege of inform individuals of receiving a scholarship, fellowship or admission.
During 1999–2004, I was an active volunteer on the Young Executive Board of the Washington Scholarship Fund. There were many ways to volunteer, but my favorite was being a committee member calling low-income parents to let them know a child had been awarded a partial scholarship. The responses were usually screams and shouts of "Hallelujah!" and "Praise the Lord!" as well as various expletives used to express joy.
Out of the many calls, I will never forget the single dad who threatened violence against me if I was joking about his daughter receiving a partial scholarship. I had been the main person to walk him through the application process, and he considered me to be a mentor although he had more worldly experiences and challenges. Before we lost touch, he told me more than once that the direction of his daughter's life had been changed.
I enjoyed making those calls and would spend hours doing so. It wasn't always great news. In some cases, the families were in such unstable situations that we........
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