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Upper School Students Champion Belonging, Love in 'This I Believe' Speeches

Upper School Students Champion Belonging, Love in 'This I Believe' Speeches 

Video by Jesse Paddock
 
On Jan. 26, five Durham Academy Upper School students and one staff member delivered This I Believe speeches in Kenan Auditorium as part of an annual assembly to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The speeches — inspired by radio essays from the CBS program This I Believe, which aired in the 1950s — adhere to simple yet powerful criteria. Tell a story about yourself, name one core belief, be personal and be vulnerable.
 
This year marked the eighth edition of This I Believe at DA, offering a perennial dose of love, empathy, belonging and forgiveness befitting the spirit of Dr. King. We invite you to explore their words — personal and vulnerable in equal measure — via videos and excerpts below.
 
 

Naomi Gibson ’25

 
 

Lexie Chen ’25

 
 

Godiya Mangai ’24

“I believe that our ability to be kind and compassionate toward others intertwines with our journey of resilience and self-discovery. By relying on kindness, we take one step toward healing, toward forgiving and toward finding peace within ourselves. The slightest bit of kindness has the power to bring light into the darkest moments. It is my hope that we all strive to be a source of kindness for our friends, families, teachers and everyone else around us in our own unique ways. For this is the step that it takes to making our communities a better place and, ultimately, the world a better place.”
 
 

Beckett Moylan ’25

 
 

Bef Steinberg ’24

 
 

Marichal Gentry, Enrollment Management Counselor