Thanks to Dr. Wessner and the Davidson College Biology Students
It was my pleasure yesterday to drive down to Davidson College to speak with the students of Dr. Dave Wessner's Biology classes about HIV/AIDS. I am not one who loves speaking in public, but the welcome I received from everyone at Davidson was enough to help me get through the event. I owe everyone who participated my gratitude for their kindness and curiosity about this disease that has been a part of me for over 23 years now.
Each time I have a conversation with someone about HIV/AIDS, I come away thinking of what I should have said or how I might have explained myself better. One such situation occurred yesterday at the completion of the second class of the day. A young lady who had been seated next to me congratulated me and said "You made me cry." I responded, "Good!" I wish now I could rewind, re-record that moment and explain what I meant.
One of my mentors has told me in the past that he strives to laugh and cry every single day of his life so that he will know that he is experiencing life to its fullest. The two of us have also spoken in the past about the joy in sorrow and the sorrow in joy, recognizing that life is rarely all one and not, at least in part, the other. My goal in speaking to the students at Davidson was to present a human face to HIV/AIDS and to personalize the disease for them. I see it as a form of success that people laughed at times during my visit and that others also cried. I am honored that I was able to touch some of these young people's spirits in a way that may, perhaps, lead them to future action to make the world less threatening for us all.
I was touched by the beauty of Davidson College's campus and the kindness of the people there. Many thanks to you all for your support yesterday and to those students whose work has been included in the International Carnival of Pozitivities in the past. GO WILDCATS!!, even though I bleed Carolina Blue.
Categories: Davidson+College biology public+speaking HIV/AIDS HIV AIDS International+Carnival+of+Pozitivities ICP
posted by Ron Hudson at 8:20:00 AM
3 Comments:
Thank you so much again for coming, Ron! It meant a lot to our class for you to share your experiences with us. I appreciated it so much. Hope you come back, and God bless!
You are so very welcome, Claire. It was an experience I will remember for a long time.
Ron, thank you so much for speaking with us yesterday. I really admire your openness and willingness to share about such difficult topics. Yesterday's was one class I won't forget.
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