During the Chemelot Young Professionals Session (CHYPS) Donovan Livingston gave a lecture about “Leadership in Education”.
Donovan Livingston is a Harvard University graduate. His graduation speech was liked by Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Justin Timberlake, and many others. At Brightlands Chemelot Campus for the Chemelot Young Professionals he gave another speech, calling upon them to achieve their true potential.
During his enthralling speech, he used his own poems, recited in rapping fashion, and anecdotes about his own live as student and young professional. Click to watch the video with a fragment from one of the poems.
Livingston currently works as a student counselor at two schools in his home town, Greensboro, North Carolina, where he mentors students with less fortunate backgrounds.
Learnings of the first year
He shared with the attendants what his first year of work had taught him:
- How to respond to adversity
- How to think on my feet, be flexible, and accessible
- How to see the good in others and place(s) they’re from (more than meets the eye)
- How to commit to someone other than myself.
The Origin of Things
He ended his speech with a short poem by Listervelt Middleton, that went like this:
“…Sharpen your eyes
Tune your ears
So you know what you see
Understand what you hear
Minute by minute
Hour by hour
As we know our story
We know our power.”
