Imagine standing in front of 300 people and echoing the words of a famous man and speech. For Jama, a 5th grader at Woodville Elementary and student of Peter Paul, this was no small feat. On January 25, Jama gave the Martin Luther King, Jr. ‘I Have a Dream Speech’ to the congregation and community of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.

Each year St. Paul’s celebrates Martin Luther King, Jr. on his birthday and invites a student from Woodville Elementary to give this historic speech. Jama was nominated for the 2015 celebration by his teacher at Woodville because of his kindness and great potential. He is a quiet and shy ten year old, whose first language is not English. Giving a speech in front of such a large crowd was a daunting idea for the 5th grader. However, with the help of two Peter Paul mentors, his mentor at Woodville, and other caring adults in his life, Jama grew the courage to deliver these famous words.Jamah_MLKSpeech

Dick Bennett and Dr. Sam Fuller share mentoring with Jama at PPDC. They were both delighted to learn that their mentee had been selected for such an important role in the St. Paul’s event. “He’s always been a good reader, but we consistently work on his reading aloud with meaning. Jama read the speech at St. Paul’s without fear and received a standing ovation. It was an amazing moment and I was so proud of him!” Dick said of working with Jama.

Dr. Fuller had similar words to share “The week before his speech he was practicing in one of the offices at Peter Paul. The door was open and we were working on projection of his voice. When he finished he received applause from the crowd that had gathered outside the door. Jama simply smiled his beautiful smile.”

Jama’s courage and the support of his Peter Paul mentors demonstrates the Peter Paul community at work. Receiving words of encouragement from caring adults and being celebrated for his achievement gave Jama the confidence he needed to stand in front of a church congregation – the confidence he will need throughout his life, as he works to achieve the goals he sets for himself.