Two weeks ago I was sitting in a plastic chair around a plastic table in a rural community in Nicaragua. I sat there talking to three high school students – two young men and a young woman – about their dreams for the future. The two young men wanted to be engineers of some type – mechanical or electrical. The young woman wanted to be a doctor. I thought of them again last night as I watched Lupita Nyong’o win the Best Supporting Actress Award at the Oscars for her performance in 12 Years A Slave. Her acceptance speech was one of the best of the evening and concluded with this line: No matter where you are from your dreams are valid. As I listened to her I thought of those three students.
Dirt poor.
Against incredible odds, dreaming bold dreams for tomorrow.
I do hope dreams come true.
Against overwhelming odds, I hope dreams come true.
Because no matter where you are from, your dreams are valid.