A Table of Shared Stories: Luncheon with Interim President Brewer

 

A Table of Shared Stories: Luncheon with Interim President Brewer

There’s something uniquely powerful about sitting at a table where everyone shares a piece of your story.  Walking into that Reynolds Cottage, I was struck not just by the welcoming atmosphere and thoughtful details.  Rosalind Brewer, our interim president, carried herself in a way that exceeded her title.  She wasn’t there as a distant figure.  She was there as someone who had stood exactly where we stand, filled out the same complicated financial aid forms, navigated the unspoken rules of colleges without a family background, and carried the weight of being the first.  My parents never attended college, so I arrived at Spelman with countless unspoken questions and that distinct mix of gratitude and self-doubt that first-generation students know all too well.  Watching her move through the room with genuine engagement, speaking openly about her journey, and acknowledging how her parent's sacrifices made her who she is, encouraged me to do the same.  It’s one thing to intellectually know that success is possible, coming from where I come from.  It’s another to see it represented in someone leading a college.  As I left that afternoon, I carried with me something beyond the event itself.  That our stories matter, that our perspectives strengthen this community, and that our presence here is not accidental.  The luncheon created space to set some of the doubts of being a first-generation down.  The president didn’t simply tell us we could succeed, she showed us what success looks like when it’s built on a foundation of first-generation determination and doesn’t require forgetting where you came from.  By showing up personally, by honoring our unique path, she showed us how to carry forward a legacy worth celebrating.  That’s a vision I’m committed to carrying with me.

-Nowshin Shithi