Rehan Staton graduates from Harvard Law School...The Reciprocity Effect...Paying It Forward!

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My friends and I were honored in the Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/.../harvard-law-janitor.../

Last February, I was walking down the hallway at school and said, "Hi, how are you doing?" to a support staff member that happened to be walking in my direction. She was so surprised that she asked if I was talking to her twice. She said, "I am sorry. I didn't know you were talking to me. Students would rather look at the wall than talk to me." After hearing what she said, It was devastating to hear that someone who puts so much into our school felt that way. The following week I decided to take some money that I made over the summer and go and buy gift cards and handwrite thank you cards for about 100 support staff members.

I didn't see my action as an act of charity but simply as reciprocity. I have been chronically sick for a few years now. Every day is a struggle. I didn't get a chance to connect with many of my peers at school because I often didn't feel well enough to go to events or stay there long. However, I built great relationships with the support staff, who took good care of me whenever I wasn't feeling well. They would get me food, water, and offer to get me to the hospital or doctor if needed. Many of them became of my friends, brothers, sisters, uncles, and aunts.

After I gave out the gift cards and thank you cards, the support staff were extremely grateful. After their positive response, I created a nonprofit to further bridge the gap between students and support staff. However, I didn't do this alone, and I couldn't have done it alone without the help of many others. I contacted one of my best friends and my former boss at Bates Trash Trucking & Recycling, Brent Bates. He Co-Founded The Reciprocity Effect (TRE) with me and made the first donation of $50,000. I raised several more thousand dollars and received over $100,000 in pledges within six weeks.

I then reached out to Malia Gesuale & Brian Dezurick - who helped me build this out brick by brick. I didn't have to convince them at all. They joined and always accommodated my health along the way. Our group grew with the additions of Ana Bordallo, Beau Bayh, and Kiese Hansen, who were excited about intentionally creating a community with our support staff and the rest of the school. Lilly Gill worked from behind the scenes and continued even after she graduated.

I couldn't have asked for a better team. They are brilliant, extremely creative, and possess excellent drive and resilience. Most of all, they genuinely care.

The Reciprocity Effect launched Monday, April 10th, where we collectively honored the support staff with a big award banquet. Over 100 students showed up to support, and we reached over 180 attendees. Moreover, Harvard Law's HR department worked extremely hard to help make this happen. We have no idea how we could have accomplished this without them.

It shouldn't take a pandemic to give support staff/essential workers their flowers. This should be a daily norm. They do too much for us.

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Something really cool happened today. I was featured on CBS Mornings New Years Eve special!

I’m really grateful for Vladimir Dunthers, Gayle King and all others involved for honoring me with the feature!

I wanted to take the time to thank everyone who really pushed my story. Tyler Perry (and countless others who heard about it) helped in such incredible ways. The past year and a half has been filled with opportunities. I’ve received unbelievable job offers, proposals for movie deals about my life, and chances to connect with amazing people. None of that would have been possible without everyone on Facebook who supported me and pushed my story.

Your support literally changed my life. Saying “Thank you” can’t begin to describe my gratitude.

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A perfect example of "what you do, does not define you"...You are much more than what you do for a living...

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The enthralling story of Rehab Staton is one which has the ability to touch lives positively and inspire the

hearts of youths today. It is not without its sweet and bitter parts. However, what's more important now is that he's living his life long dream right now: becoming a student of Harvard Law. The journey was not easy for him, I must tell you.

As a child, he had to battle hunger and hardship due to his family's financial deficiencies. This greatly affected his academic performance and made him seem like a dullard before his teachers. However, he continued to persevere until he got to where he is today. In this article, I'll be sharing ten facts about Rehan Staton which you may not know yet, with you. Before then, let's see more pictures of Rehan:

Full article:  10 Facts About Rehan Staton, The 24-Year-Old Who Went From Disposin...

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Kofi Bilal Mahmud Eid AlFitr 1443 A.H.

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Kofi Bilal Mahmud

Executive Director

Oppressed Peoples Online Word 

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