TOC II Spotlight: Sarah Lawrence College
We featured this TOC II spotlight in ourÌý
Dennis Richmond, Jr. is a second year graduate student at Sarah Lawrence College in the Art of Teaching Graduate Program. Here, he reflects on his life growing up and what it means to be a part of TOC II, shedding light on how important the program can be to boys and young men of color:Ìý
"In less than one year, I will have my master's degree in education. From 6th grade all the way through part of 10th grade, I was bullied. I was verbally harassed, slapped, punched, and robbed. Students made fun of me for the way I dressed. Students criticized me for who I was. I never understood why I was a target, but I was. I guess it was because I was smart. It took me a while to tell my parents because let's be real, the way that I heard it in school was: 'snitches get stitches.'
Despite all of that, though, I held on. I made it to and through high school, attended a premier liberal arts HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities)Ìýcalled Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina, and I am now at Sarah Lawrence College, a school that has only been coeducational for about 50 years. The TOC II program is allowing me to have the financial support that I need to elevate, to effect change, and to be amazing and triumphant. Without this program, there is a good chance that I would not be attending Sarah Lawrence College, a really good chance. As I embark on matriculation for this school year, I am constantly reminded that people have opened doors for me, so I have to open doors for others. To all students and educators, hold on, because it gets better."