Excerpt
The following is from the July 28,2011, edition of The North Dallas Gazette. Raul Magdaleno, assistant director of community outreach at SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts, gave the graduation address for the Kids' University.
August 8, 2011
With chants of “I don’t quit, I don’t quit,” the voices of more than 150 children brought this summer’s Kids’ University to a close.
The annual four-day camp is designed to give children from local homeless shelters the chance to experience a college environment. In addition to math and science, classes emphasized healthy lifestyles. Campers prepared organic and natural foods, made art, and learned discipline in karate and balance in yoga. The camp also stressed the importance of drug-free living. . .
The camp ends each year with a graduation ceremony. This year’s speaker, Raul Magdaleno, assistant director of community outreach at Southern Methodist University’s Meadows School of the Arts, delivered a message about enduring. Magdaleno’s story of growing up in poverty surrounded by abuse and violence triggered the chanting of “I don’t quit.”
“You may not be able to change where you’ve been, but you can change where you’re going,” Magdaleno said.
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