While you wait Enjoy the words of our

While you wait: Enjoy the words of our children and youth

HOPE sees the invisible Feels the intangible and Achieves the impossible

�My favorite place is a house out of bricks just like the 3 little pigs but bigger. My bricks are real, real strong. 5 year old boy

�My hopes are to finish school and get good grades. �My dream is to play in the NBA and be shown on TV. �My fear is to lose my family and my friends. 11 year old boy

“Thanks to Mc. Kinney. Vento, I didn’t have to move. ” Le. Tendre Scholar, 2013 Congressional Briefing

�My dream is to make something out of myself. �My hope is to be a good person and get good A’s. 12 year old girl

�My hope is to have a car so I can travel around to see different things. �My dream is of having a pet. I would like a frog. 6 year old boy

I was on my own and the teacher gave 10 bonus points for a parent’s signature on the test…. Le. Tendre Scholar, 2013 Congressional Briefing

�My hope is for my dad’s credit to go up and for us to move out of this shelter. My hope is for my dad and mom to stop smoking. My hope is for my mom to have a really good life. 10 year old girl

We have a saying ‘in the system, ’ [foster care ] “The good ones never stay. ” Le. Tendre Scholar, 2013 Congressional Briefing

�My hope is to be a successful person in life. �My dream is that there would be no such things as diseases or weapons of destruction, or killing. �My fear is of dying. 12 year old boy

My professor was so inspiring…I had the opportunity to do stem cell research. I had to choose between an opportunity to further my career and a job that would pay for school. Le. Tendre Scholar, 2013 Congressional Briefing

�My hopes are to have a car, to have money, and to have a house. �My dream is to be a teacher and to study cooking. 7 year old girl

�My hopes are to be a basketball player, get along with other people, and go to college. �My fear is not succeeding. 12 year old boy

“There’s no one to tell. ” Le. Tendre Scholar, 2013 Congressional Briefing

�My hopes are to go to college and make it on the drumline and also to be able to afford anything I need or want. �My favorite place is the mall. I could go there every day because I love to shop. 11 year old girl

�My hopes are to serve my country and to be president. �My dream is to get a college degree. �My favorite place is outside. �My fear is to die in the war. 9 year old boy

“Homelessness doesn’t define us. ” Le. Tendre Scholar, 2013 Congressional Briefing

“We’re really good at hiding it. ” Le. Tendre Scholar, 2013 Congressional Briefing

“School was my escape. ” Le. Tendre Scholar, 2013 Congressional Briefing

�My dream is of having a three story home, nice car and job working with animals as a zoologist. I would like to own a computer and go on a book shopping spree at a local bookstore. 14 year old boy

“When you see the quiet kid, keep trying to get in. Always just be there. ” Le. Tendre Scholar, 2013 Congressional Briefing

�My dream is for the poor to get a better home, the kids who are sick get better treatment and for the people who have AIDS to get help. Please grant this wish. 10 year old girl

Swami’s challenge How do I continue to dream big?