All Love for #TESOL19. Why? I Got the Opportunity to Run Into Andrea DeCapua (2011) Who With Helaine Marshall Made My Work Possible

After our session on Refugee Writing Across the Lifespan, my fellow presenters and I hung out to debrief our session, share resources, and discuss possible next steps. In our circle, a woman arrived and joined the conversation. I looked down at the name tag and it was Andrea DeCapua and my brain exploded. She was the first to publish on students with limited and interrupted formal education and with Helaine Marshall, she helped me to position the work with the African-born male youth in the literacy world from which my study occurred. She was gracious enough to share my joy and to help me unite the family, albeit it small, of individuals who work with such a wonderful population of human beings.

I know that this made every second of the conference worthwhile. I thoroughly enjoyed my session with Lisa Gonzalves, Nicole Pettitt, and Eliano Hirado (we covered high school, to college, to adult education) and I took pages and pages of notes. Walking out of our session into Andrea DeCapua was the cherry on the cupcake. I should also say that Raichle Farrelly, one of the editors for Educating Refugee-Background Students (2018) in which I was able to share writing with Somali-background youth, was in the audience. So great to put a face to the name..

The connections are what make all of the academic work possible. Phew. In 2007, when I began my intellectual pursuit, I didn't realize how much the writing of strangers would be an influence of my own work. I am forever grateful to their scholarship, so that mine could be made possible.

I was also humbled to see my writing paired with my role model, Kristen Perry of the University of Kentucky, cited for another's scholars work with L2 Refuge writing in college. The audience laughed when I jumped up and said, "Whoa. I'm being cited! And I'm right next to one of my heroes. I'm having a moment right here" (and snapped a photo).

I am leaving TESOL in Atlanta inspired for continuing the work and imagining new possibilities for how we might better support the literacies of youth populations arriving to our nation. It is amazing to be surrounded by so many people who have dedicated their lives to language, humanity, love, social justice, equity and global truth. In such company, it's hard to see how so many others can be surrounded in communities that counter such love.

For now, I am believing in the beauty of good people, because these good people are doing amazing things. This is what matters most.