Gen-1 Program

Parker’s posts always speak to me, and the poetry he shares feeds my spirit.

Life sometimes asks us to hold more than we think we can. That’s how I feel right now, out of my depth, as I learn of tragic events in the lives of friends, deal with a few bumps of my own, and lurch toward Tuesday’s election results and the turmoil that will surely follow.

So I was grateful this morning that some invisible hand led me toward “What the Day Gives” by Jeanne Lohmann. On this cold, overcast, rainy November day in Madison, Wisconsin, her opening words, “Suddenly, sun,” remind me that the Light is always waiting to break through, even in the gloom, and that it can take us by surprise.

As the poem goes on, I’m reminded of even deeper truths about our common life. Spring will come, and there are no shortcuts to it. But in the meantime, there is good news. Our world holds the immensity of life, with all of its contradictions, and can “plunge us in a single day from despair/to hope and back again.”

Then come the words of John Ruskin, a 19th Century English philosopher who lived in an era when a misguided version of Christianity preached the dangers of pleasure and “the duty of self-denial,” a great way to squelch the human spirit. Today their descendants are insisting that America has gone to hell in a hand-basket because they don’t run it—so we should all wear sackcloth and ashes until the self-proclaimed Righteous Party is back in power, led by the most ungrateful and whiniest man on the planet.

With Ruskin, the great reformer Sojourner Truth knew that sackcloth and ashes is not a fit wardrobe for someone who’s fully alive: “Life is a hard battle anyway. If we laugh and sing a little as we fight the good fight of freedom, it makes it all go easier. I will not allow my life’s light to be determined by the darkness around me.”

Memo to Self: Stay with the struggle, your own and your friends, but keep your eyes open for the in-breaking Light. Practice patience as the great cycle of life takes you from despair back to hope. And never forget that life is a great gift, no matter how hard it gets, and the fact that you are here to have and hold it is a one in a quadrillion chance: do not blow it!

[Jeanne Lohmann's books at http://tiny.cc/n3gtzz. My 10 books are at http://tiny.cc/r3gtzz.]

Please allow us to introduce another trailblazer and member of Cohort 14, Abdoulaye Cisse! Abdoulaye, also known as, “Doulaye,” is a 2021 graduate from Withrow High School, where he participated in football and taekwondo. Doulaye is a sociology major at UC. In his free time he enjoys watching anime, playing basketball, and hanging out with his friends. Doulaye is determined to graduate and hopes to get a job in a field he loves, and one where he can be financially stable. Fun fact: He is the tallest person in his family! ”

The UC Gen-1 Program has the pleasure of introducing Bre Anderson to Cohort 14! Bre is a recent graduate from Lebanon High School and a first-year student majoring in health science. At UC, she is hopeful that she will get good grades and make new friends! After graduating with her degree, she hopes to get a job in a career she loves!
Fun fact: She has never broken any bones and have two poems published!
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“We have the honor of introducing another member to Cohort 14 of our program, join us in welcoming Malakai Johnson! Malakai also known as, “”Mali,”” is a first-year student who recently graduated from Roger Bacon High School. In high school, Mali played football and was team captain. At UC, Mali is majoring in sports administration and in his free time he enjoys hanging out with friends and watching anime. Mali hopes to work hard and complete his degree at UC. After graduation, he hopes to work his way up in the sports industry! ”

The UC Gen-1 Program has the pleasure of introducing Ndeye Fatou to Cohort 14! Fatou is a 2021 graduate of Aiken High School, where she was a part of their cross-country team. She is now a Gen-1 scholar, as well as a Kizer scholar at UC. In her free time, she enjoys reading, getting on social media, and spending time with her family. Fatou is a nursing major, and hopes to be a successful nurse and get married when she graduates. Fun fact: She speaks three languages.