diversifiedminds

Good evening. It is an honor to be here with you all tonight. I remember listening to Boston College alum Steve Pemberton speak during Black Family Weekend’s Black Excellence Gala. In his speech he described how Boston College became his home while he was a student. I know exactly what he meant. From the first day I stepped onto campus as a high school junior in 2001 I instantly felt a connection. During my four years here I made it my home.   With that said I want to thank you all for inviting me back home tonight. I don’t know how it is in your homes, but in mine things are said that make you laugh, make you cry, make you think and challenge your beliefs. I hope that my homecoming will accomplish that as well. If my name looks familiar to many of you that’s because I am the alum who wrote in to The Heights a few weeks ago. One of the students on campus had deep reservations about the way that The Heights covered Ta-Nehisi Coates on campus talk. I have been a fan of Coates wr...

Good morning Regis High School. As Mr. Garcia mentioned my name is Akim St.Omer. It is my deep honor to be with you on this special morning. I am a graduate of the best Jesuit college in America, Boston College, a place where the ideals of Jesuit education helped fundamentally shape the person that I am today. As a result, it always feels like I am coming back home when I enter a Jesuit institution. With that, I thank you all for welcoming me into your home this morning. Before I begin, I want to extend sincere thanks to two members of the Regis staff. Mr. Garcia, thank you for having me here this morning. When we began exchanging emails back in January and I recommended American Promise to you, I never expected that just a few short months later I'd be here discussing issues around this movie to the entire school. Your work and continued focus on equality, especially in education, will no doubt leave its mark on the world in general, and Regis in particular. I am confident th...