A few weeks ago, during a QUESTion Day assembly at one of our partner schools in the Bronx, a group of students stood on stage and spoke to an audience of 500 peers about their experience in the QUESTion Class. A Muslim girl with a long black dress and a bright pink scarf, a hip-hop girl with high heels and mini-skirt, a young Latino man with a hood over his head and his colorful sneakers; another young man, African American, with his long dreadlocks and big bright eyes…a snapshot of our wonderful American youth…all of them 14 and 15 years old. So confident, so sweet, so vulnerable.

They all spoke with such dignity, wisdom, and inner strength: “At the beginning, the QUESTion Class was so boring,” started one young girl, “it seemed meaningless. But, after a while I felt like I was reading the book of my own life.” Another young man continued, “I realized that we are all ONE even if we are different; Latinos, Asians, Whites, we all have the same humanity, the same struggle, the same life Quest!” Another girl then took the stage and silenced us all: “The QUESTion Class made me realize that I have the choice to become the woman I want to be in life. I do not need to be a prostitute or a drug dealer. I can and will choose a different path.” Tears started to pour down her face and the girl next to her gave her a huge hug. The whole school bore witness in stillness…and then burst into a huge applause. I could not stop the tears going down my eyes. I had never met these kids before and yet they conquered my heart.

We want to thank all teachers and administrators working to make the QUESTion Project a success. Thank you for creating  such amazing environments of trust and growth in your wonderful schools. Thank you for allowing us to join you on this journey! Since we started we have not stopped running.

Every day with more love, every day with more commitment, every day with more determination to reach more and more and more of these wonderful youth all over the country!

This summer we will be partnering  with 3 new schools, growing our reach to 10 schools between Los Angeles and New York City. We are still debating how to respond to the hundred plus requests we received last month, as a results of an article that was published on the Hechinger Report: The Benefits of Helping Teens Find Their Purpose in Life. We want to grow with integrity, that is most important for us!