Life of a Fellow: AJ
AJ majored in International Relations at Brown University before joining the 12+ team. He brings empathy, respect, and humility to his work with students as a Fellow at Penn Treaty School, and we count ourselves lucky to have him on our team. Read on to learn about his experience as a Fellow in this unprecedented school year in our Plus Side post for the Fellows Class of 2020-21!
As the school year comes to a close for our students, it feels like I am taking a breath for the first time in a while. Summer quickly approaches, and with it I can feel a buzz of excitement and a sense of renewal in the air. Difficult does not even begin to describe what we have experienced this year.
AJ promoting our Trunk Party fundraiser in our new office!
This school year has been characterized, in part, by a sense of disconnection — from our bodies, families, friends, schools, and so much more. Many of us have been robbed of cornerstone rituals and celebrations such as birthdays, proms, funerals and the like. Some have experienced feelings of isolation, anger, sadness and grief, along with other emotions that may not be fully processed yet. We are all tasked with the challenge of making meaning of this ongoing global pandemic. Some challenges we already faced before the pandemic have only been exacerbated, while other challenges are unique to this experience.
Cap and gown distribution at Penn Treaty!
In other ways, this year has provided opportunities for activism, achievement and success in ways that might not have been possible otherwise. Protests to address racism, sexism, police violence and all forms of oppression have emerged throughout the world, in large part due to the efforts of young people. I’m amazed at all the interesting and critical conversations I’ve had with students about their futures — whether that is going to fashion school, attending a four year college to major in visual arts, continuing the path towards becoming a registered nurse at a community college, committing full time to follow musical passions, or working on automobiles with family. For myself and others, this year has offered space for reflection in ways that have catapulted our growth. It is a tall order to ask anyone to decide the next steps of their life paths, and our students have done so with grace and intention. I could not be more proud of what we have accomplished this year. We have experienced so much as a community, and a nation, and a world, and it is not over yet!
For all of my students, coworkers and community members who are still in a period of fluctuation, who remain unsure of how to craft their life at this moment, I want to say that you are not alone. The only timeline we are on is our own, and I am confident that our life paths will reveal themselves to us as long as we continue to think about what aligns best with our desires, abilities, responsibilities and interests. This year, I’ve encouraged myself to take baby steps towards my goals while being gracious when I don’t achieve everything I want to do. I hope that others are doing the same.
Recently I listened to a podcast with Dr. Courtney Goto and Lakisha Lockhart, who spoke to the concept of “holding lightly”. They state that holding lightly allows us to pay attention to what will free us and allow us to move through the world with a playful openness to what life has to offer. If you don’t know where to go from here, I invite you to take a breath, hold your future lightly, and begin with the questions: what makes me feel good? What makes me feel free?