Trauma is an invisible backpack that accompanies students into the college classroom. This backpack may carry a history of abuse, exposure to violence, racial trauma, neglect, family loss, experience as a refugee, or survival from a natural disaster. Yet we often expect students to be
Over the past several years, I have had the deep privilege of participating in The Way of Remembering (WOR), a spiritually grounded journey to Benin that looks at intergenerational trauma and healing through the lens of African ways of knowing. Benin is a beautiful country
During my third year of college, another student that many of my friends interacted with, who tutored some of us, died. While I wouldn’t call him a close friend, he was an acquaintance, and his loss was felt deeply. I remember wanting to cry, but
This semester I am teaching an undergraduate biology course on biofeedback, self-regulation, and intergenerational resilience. One of the books we read is Robert M. Sapolsky’s Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers. The book’s thesis is that humans experience chronic stress in ways that animals like zebras
From an early age, I was immersed in the Muslim tradition that taught me to learn from every facet of the natural world—from the majesty of mountains to the quiet diligence of ants. This philosophy is meant to cultivate a sense of humility within us
Note to readers: This essay is more than words on a page; it’s a voyage into the most tender recesses of my heart. As I penned these lines, I laid bare emotions typically veiled, not in pursuit of validation but to foster a moment of
As a student, I would often find myself buried in textbooks, meticulously reviewing notes, highlighting my textbook, and relistening to lectures I had recorded only to score an average grade or lower on my exams. At times, it felt like the harder I studied,
