Click each VOICE Storyteller’s name for more information!
10 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Curt Marshall – “First: An American Journey Through the Lens of Race”
Curt is the son of Caribbean immigrant parents, raised as an urban African American male in NYC, and educated at a PWI in Central PA. His journey through life encompasses all of the stories of Americans (except that of his Native brothers and sisters). He has a passion for people, and by learning their stories, helps to navigate deeper connections in the space of race in America.
11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Lynnicia Massenburg – “Dropping Out and Coming Back to a Ph.D.: My Voyage to Becoming BOLD“
I always loved a good adventure. Exploration feels like a treasure hunt, and my curiosity seems to know no end. Looking back, I’ve seen and done things that I can’t believe and will never forget. From surviving riptides in Brazil to almost being homeless in Singapore only to find myself wandering the streets in Germany, I’m an explorer. Somehow, I always managed to steer myself out of risky situations. Now, pursuing a Ph.D. would be my next adventure to make new discoveries in science, my ultimate treasure hunt! My father gave me the motivation to set sail for graduate school to study science. After a mutiny on deck, I walked the plank and dropped out of my Ph.D. program. My curiosity wasn’t prepared for failure. I can make it out of these rough waves…right? I hit rock bottom. Yet, something deep within me pushed myself to restart my Ph.D. at Penn State. When everything was looking up, my father unexpectedly passed away, and I had to navigate rough waters on my own. Emerging from life’s depths, I gained the strength to become BOLD: (B) Believe in the process, (O) Own your identity, (L) Love Yourself, (D) Do it!
12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Andre-Mar’Quis Mitchell – “Spiritual Labyrinth: An Ode to The Tears That Led to Eternal Sunshine” (Pre-Recorded & Live Q&A)
I can remember yelling into the sky, “how much more do you expect me to take?” at only 8 years old. Raised with a faith that echoed, ‘God does not put more on you than you can bear, I found resilience in the same face of defeat. I began to search for something more tangible to believe in, and through writing and movement of nature, I discovered the light of the sun.
My tribulations do not always feel as if it were meant for just one person, it was always in abundance, much more than those blessing that I was to wait around for. In my eyes of innocence, I had already embodied the art of tragedy in my writing, by telling the stories of my own; two drug addict parents who both struggled with HIV, an overwhelming presence in the foster system, a struggle with the acceptance of self and others, learning the pride in being a soul of the LBGTQA+ community, poverty, cancer, rape, too many lost loved ones, a divorce, anxiety/depression…the abuse.
Would you believe me if I told you that this story is one of light? Of a journey to acceptance, healing, and Eternal Sunshine. The power of thought and manifestation, a mindset that taught me to see my adversity as my superpower. The reason I do not go without a smile or feel like I’ve gotten the short end of the stick is no secret; I am a superhero, well, by my own definition.
1 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Victoria Post – “The Roles We Played – Onstage and Off”
When I was 14 years old, my brother had a bipolar breakdown, my stepsister was diagnosed with pediatric cancer, and my Mom’s boyfriend began molesting me. By my senior year, I finally came forward about my experiences. My community turned against me, and I had to conceptualize speaking against a man who helped raise me in the court of law, while people I trusted picked the side of the abuser and accused me of lying. It all sounds like something that came from a lifetime movie, and it felt like it wasn’t even real when it happened to me. I had developed a community of people where I felt like I had a home, and it was taken away from me by the time I left for college. At college, I slowly rebuilt a community of people I could trust. Some days are still hard for me, yet I’ve learned so much about myself and others along my healing journey.
2 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Dr. Susan Mohammed – “An Island Girl’s Journey Through Abuse, Single Parenthood, a Ph.D., and Full Professorship”
I never tire of hearing underdog stories, ones that start wretchedly and end gloriously. Having lived my own underdog story, I daily live out the miracle of being where and who my poor beginning never predicted I would be. I am a professor at Penn State University and the daughter of parents who never graduated from high school and were not U.S. citizens. I grew up on an island paradise that was also a living hell of cruelty, mental illness, and criminal activity. I know how childhood trauma shrouds our body, soul, and spirit in shame. I also know how the abandonment that later left me a single mom on welfare wreaks havoc on our self-worth.
From abuse and single parenthood to a Ph.D. and the halls of academia, my story is one of extreme contrasts made possible by a God who commands light to shine out of darkness and beauty to form out of ashes. My life journey illustrates that shattered lives can not only be slightly improved but dramatically transformed.
3 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Bruce Knoll – “Growing up in the 50s and 60s”
I’ve often wondered what it means to be a man. In many ways, this is determined by our society, rather than our individual preferences. I find the standards dictated by many Western societies to be rather troublesome. Society should be more inclusive of different perspectives and different approaches to life. Must masculinity always be defined by how much money one makes; how many beautiful babes hang around one? Must it be defined by how fast one’s car goes, or how many deer one brings in during hunting season, or how many bullets one’s gun can fire in a minute? Isn’t it possible to be masculine while enjoying art, music, and interesting conversation, a quiet walk in a garden, while still leaving room for some exuberant physical activity? And by physical activity, I don’t mean the type that proves one is better than someone else. Can one enjoy an academic career without constantly having to prove that one is smarter than everyone else, or that one has one garnered more prizes than other colleagues? Our differences can be celebrated, and we can each be valued for those qualities which lead to collaboration rather than individualization. There are so many good qualities that go into making a man, and I have found society often devalues these qualities, casting derision on those who bring the full experience of masculinity to their lives.
4 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Leslie A. Jones – “It’s Mentally and Physically Exhausting To Be The First, One Of The First, Or The One And Only African American Female To…”
Leslie Arnetta Jones has infamously over the course of her lifetime been the first, one of the first or the one and only African American Female to … She attended one of the first Head start pre-kindergarten classes in her hometown. She was a member of the first African American Family to join an all Caucasian Lutheran Church. Leslie was one of very few middle school instrumentalists, she played the flute, to fill out a high school’s Flute section. At the same high school, she was one of many African American Females on the Freshman and Junior Varsity cheer squads. After Leslie’s mother unexpectedly passed away, she had to overcome the stupid teenage attitudes of some of her new Suburban high school Varsity cheermates. She completed her BA and her MA in Theatre after two out-of-touch University Theatre Departments could have cared less if she benefited from their high-priced education or not. After teaching for 8 years in California, Leslie became a Social Justice Warrior. She honed that Social Justice Warrior skill and mentality, over the course of 22 years while teaching in Virginia. Today, Leslie continues to pass that social justice mentality on to her Students, through the plays and musicals that she chooses to direct on the high school level. Leslie A. Jones is still mentally and physically exhausted. However, she will continue being the first, one of the first, or the one and only African American Female To… until the day she dies.
We look forward to seeing you Tuesday, March 23rd!