Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 265

Perhaps the coolest part of Mott Hall Bridges Academy's tour of...

Perhaps the coolest part of Mott Hall Bridges Academy's tour of Harvard University was when each student got to choose a college course to attend. I chose to tag along for the Soft and Wearable Robots course. (Because robots.) Here’s Jamal demonstrating a wearable robot that will one day help stroke victims compensate for diminished motor skills.

“I don’t like that question. Everybody always asks me what I...

“I don’t like that question. Everybody always asks me what I want to do when I grow up, but nobody can tell me what they want to do. Anyway, even if I tell you I want to do something, I’m probably not going to want to do it anymore once I try it. Did you want to be a photographer when you were my age? Didn’t think so.”

I was surprised and impressed by the amount of preparation that...

I was surprised and impressed by the amount of preparation that Harvard put into MHBA’s visit. President Faust greeted us on arrival, and there were speeches by the Dean and Dean of Admissions. The tone of these speeches was very refreshing. While there was a thorough discussion of scholarship options, there was none of: “Harvard will consider you.” There was a lot of: “Please consider Harvard.” Dean Khurana happened to walk by while I was taking the previous photograph.

“It’s difficult to stay on top for 40 years,” he explained. “Not to mention 400 years. For an organization to remain relevant, there has to be a certain sense of restlessness. For us, that means continuing to grow the circle of ‘who we are.’ Back in the 1700’s, Harvard meant rich white men of a certain religion. Since then, we’ve expanded to include women, different religions, and different ethnicities. If we want to stay relevant and real, we’ve got to continue to grow that circle. If our definition of excellence becomes a zip code or a test score, we’ll become little more than a museum or tourist destination.”

"Harvard’s smaller than I thought it would be."

"Harvard’s smaller than I thought it would be."

As I learned in the aftermath of our fundraiser, it’s...

As I learned in the aftermath of our fundraiser, it’s actually not-that-easy to give private money directly to a public school. But we spent some time doing homework, and with some charitable assistance from the creative minds at The Fund for Public Schools, the $1.4 million that we raised for Mott Hall Bridges Academy has been set up in the form of a structured grant. Everything is complete, and Ms. Lopez is now able to access and utilize the money for the class trips, summer programs, and scholarships that she envisioned.

And since we’re on the subject, the first MHBA trip toHarvard University happened yesterday! I’ll be sharing photos from the trip throughout the day, but we’ll begin with the one picture where I managed to get everybody in a single frame.

"I’m an ex-convict, ex-crackhead, a pastor, and the leader...

"I’m an ex-convict, ex-crackhead, a pastor, and the leader of a program that gives ex-offenders a second chance."

“I can see both of our families in him. When I look at his face,...

“I can see both of our families in him. When I look at his face, I can see my brother, my mother, and her grandmother. It makes me feel like I’m extending something much bigger than myself. It makes me feel powerful.”

“I came to study in America so that I could improve my English,...

“I came to study in America so that I could improve my English, but I’ve been here for a few months, and I’ve really only spoken to other Brazilians. Believe it or not, this is the first conversation I’ve had in English. The first moment speaking to a new person is very hard. In Brazil, people seem very open to speaking to new people. They make the first moment very easy. But here, the first moment seems much harder. It seems like everyone is in a group, and they only talk to people inside of their group, and I’m not sure how to get in a group. I told myself that I had to come to Central Park and talk to someone today. But I ended up just sitting here.”

"What was the happiest moment of your life?""I don’t think...

"What was the happiest moment of your life?"
"I don’t think I have one yet but it’s probably coming up and it’s going to be a surprise."

"I invented a country called Manizao. It’s between India...

"I invented a country called Manizao. It’s between India and China. The president is a girl named Mahava and she lives in a little red house that looks like The White House but it’s little and it’s red. And there are lots of beaches. My friend lives on one of the beaches. He’s a bird but he’s also a builder. He lives in a house that he built that is half beach house and half real house. I don’t know how he did it, but I think he glued them together. And kinda everywhere you look there is a restaurant. The most popular restaurant is called Savory Hello. Everyone in Manizao loves Savory Hello because they only serve savory things."