We all have the power in our ability to impact another person’s life. Sometimes it can be positive and sometimes we can cause harm. We all have this gift it just depends on how we use it. It can come from the words we use or the things we do. Every day, every minute, and every second is an opportunity to enact change. It took me a long time to understand this, and I spent a good part of my life thinking about me. This isn’t bad unless your thinking is rooted in selfishness, which most of the time for me it was. This was the past me now I am committed to one goal and that is to treat all people I encounter with dignity. This is not easy and sometimes I don’t live up to those high standards I set for myself, but I work to right that wrong and move forward. I learn and hope to not make that mistake again.
I am not writing today to talk about my past errors. I am writing to talk about how we never know when we have had a positive impact on someone’s life. I learned a few days ago what impact my commencement speech back in May of 2024 for Berkshire Community College (BCC) had on a graduate.
A colleague and friend shared a BCC alumni spotlight with me. This is a great thing that the college does. It highlights the success of its graduates to let people know that BCC provides “Hope and Possibility” for those who have lost hope. That is what they did for me. This month’s spotlight is Amalio Jusino from the graduating class of 2024. I have the link below so that you can read his story.
Amalio Jusino | Berkshire Community College (berkshirecc.edu)
There is one part of the story I want to share with you that supports the idea that we have the power to make a difference.
“In a poignant twist, the speaker at Amalio’s commencement ceremony was Charles Redd, a graduate of the BCC nursing program and now the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer for Berkshire Health Systems. “He took the same classes at BCC as my mom. It was like she put him on that stage to talk to me,” Amalio reflects. “His speech was powerful. It was an emotional connection.””
I share this not to brag but to say that I just gave a speech. I shared a story about a college that opened the doors of opportunity for me. I did not know Amalio, nor did I know the impact my words would have on him. But it meant the world to me. I spoke for twelve minutes and somewhere in that time my words touched him in a way that brought his mother to mind. I lost my mother 5 months earlier. I believe it was both our mothers at work on that day.
Amalio, I am honored that my words meant something to you. I am honored that I was able to read your story of triumph and success. You will inspire someone out there who may be on the fence about going back to school and I hope you get the opportunity to meet that person or people you have inspired but even if you don’t know that your kind words have inspired me to keep pushing forward the knowledge that honoring the dignity of others is my life’s mission. I hope our path will cross one day. We can share the stories of our mothers. Our rock and foundation.
I want to say to that college on the hill in Pittsfield, Massachusetts (BCC), you continue to create great people who are doing amazing things and are making a difference in this world.
Charles Redd RN
Dignity Freedom Fighter
Dignity Freedom Fighter 