On Thursday November 7th, Millersville University welcomed Amina Gautier, author of The Best That You Can Do, to our campus as part of the Hazel I. Jackson Lecture Series. Graduate student Simone Coleman was invited to introduce Gautier and shares the impact this experience has had on her.
My Experience at the Hazel I. Jackson Lecture
By Simone Coleman
Want to know something funny? I almost didn’t go.
When Dr. Corkery had asked me earlier this semester if I would be interested in introducing Dr. Amina Gautier for this year’s Hazel I. Jackson lecture, I found myself flattered, yes, but I had turned it down initially. Why so? Well, I was mostly concerned about how I was going to be able to get here for this moment. As grateful as I am for the opportunity to take many courses at Millersville thanks to the online distance learning, there was just one itty bitty problem. Or maybe you could consider it two.
I live in the city and I don’t have a car of my own, yet. When I had looked at it from that point, I just knew it wasn’t feasible. It was disheartening at first, but I thought I had to accept my losses and hoped for the best for whoever would follow after me.
Around this time, I had told my mother that I was offered an opportunity to introduce a speaker but due to the lack of my own personal vehicle, I had to say no. You know what she ended up telling me? To go and email back my professor and say that I could do it and she would be my ride to get there. While I didn’t want to be an inconvenience to her, as we’re both grown women with our own respective lives, I also knew better than to argue with her. If it hadn’t been for her insistence in helping me, I wouldn’t have had one of the best nights of my life.
It didn’t matter that I had had a long day of teaching 9th grade or that the ride out was an hour and a half long. I had written what I felt like was an inspiring introduction, with only a small tweak given more recent events and to pour in how I felt about the power of Dr. Amina’s writing to her broad audience. And if it meant anything, at least I knew that Dr. Amina appreciated my words. I consider that the biggest win of the evening, right after having my copy of her book signed.
I am still very new to everything about Millersville University and despite my distance, I am so glad I was able to be a part of this and even more grateful that my professors wanted me to have a chance to experience this. There’s nothing I would change about this for the world and if an opportunity like this ever came again for me, I knew I’d take it because it truly was worth it.