I really enjoyed meeting Shaka Senghor. Telling friends and family that I met and conversed with a man who killed someone at first was a shock to them. I dove right into his story when talking with these people, making sure they understood how he transformed his life 180 degrees and how he is doing revolutionary work in the world today. Thinking about it in depth, I’ve never met or seen someone turn their life around quite like Shaka. Going from the absolute lowest of the low, life of being abused, selling drugs, no family love, and solitary confinement to a fellowship at MIT, published author, a professor, and working with politicians such as Newt Gingrich on the #CUT50 movement. This is truly wild to picture, even in my own head. His steps that he used it to do so were huge, flipping the script on his entire way of thinking. Acknowledgement, apologizing, atonement, and literature were all the great steps that he took towards starting his new life.
I learned that I can use these steps in my life, taking responsibility for my actions everyday. The “Remix Your Life” seminar was super cool, I’ve never been a part of something like that before and I am a huge rap and hip-hop fan, so that to me was incredible, learning how to stay positive. Not that I have a problem staying positive, but hearing it from a guy who has gone through so much more adversity than me made me put things in perspective and be extra thankful for everything I have. I had no real surprises from the talk, I expected him to be fully transparent with us about his story and his ability to do so made him even more of a bright light in society.
The only question remaining that I have from the experience is how far is he in developing his app. Thats about it, other than that it was a once in a lifetime experience and I’m psyched I got to meet him.