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Thank you, thank you, thank you! I have so much gratitude for you both that I can't express it all in words. Michael, being in Gretchen's class with you for the whole year was  an incredible experience, and Dr. V was right when she said that you have a gift for writing emails because every email you have ever sent me has given mw absolute joy just from reading and has lifted my mood and has even made me chuckle (remember when I emailed about the zoom link for the class in February? haha!). Dr. V, I am so grateful for you and the space you created for us students there was a moment in class where I broke down in complete tears in small group and also laughed and cried tears of joy. It was an experience whewww! I wish I was able to attend more after class events or office hours to get to know you more and engage in more of a conversation with you because I really admire you as a person and your ability to be present, understanding, and sensitive. I too am a sensitive person who is not afraid to cry(: Also - Fun fact - I grew up in the Bay Area too so it is always nice for me to hear about people who are from there. It makes me feel at home and I feel like this class was always an opportunity and space for me to feel at home. This class has impacted my experience at HGSE as it gave me new HGSE friends and I am ultimately grateful for it. Thank you so much! - Ileri

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Dear Michael,
Your presence is so impactful. Do you know that I found healing in your comments on my assignment? Like who does that <3 Your intentional feedback, your caring spirit, your ability to create safety virtually. I've needed all of it. Thank you for sharing your gifts with this class while also being a student. Thank you for giving your heart, for affirming me and seeing me this semester. I see you too and it's beautiful <3 Always and always thank you<3 Shannon Hawkins

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Dear Dr. V and Michael,
It’s been such an honor and a soul-nourishment to join the community you have created here at HGSE. It feels not dissimilar from what ideally divinity school is – integrating respect for the sacred in each of us, welcoming mind/body/spirit/emotions – and I am very grateful to have been a part of it for a moment. It’s beautiful to see you each living your calling / ministry (if I can project those terms…). Thank you for all you do and the ways you let your light and those of everyone around you shine! With love, Amy

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This has been thee most healing-centered space for me this year <3. Your intentionality with every decision that you make, leaning into your own vulnerageuosness has allowed me to lean into my own. Thank you! Your sincerity, your heart, your love, your grace, your joy. Thank you for it all! I needed this space. I needed your voice and your impact. I've been healing in spite of systems of oppression...I've been trying to figure out if that's possible to do all year. You proved that it is. Thank you forever and always <3
Shannon Hawkins

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Dear Dr. V and Michael,

Thank you so much for all you did for us in T410D. Even in just a short 6 weeks, I have learned and grown a lot. I am just been so grateful that this space exists at HGSE and for all your support and care. Thank you for fighting for this necessary space. I have learned so much about healing and you have reaffirmed my commitment to healing justice work. I am so grateful for this course and for you!

<3 Carmen

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Grate for your care and intentionality in all you do.

Your work as a student and a teacher is transformative and inspiring and healing.

In 6 shorts weeks, you made a class warm and welcoming in a way that I din't think was possible. <3

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I don’t quite have the words to express how grateful I am for you two and how deeply you two have changed my life. You both have redefined what learning is and have given me a community in a time where I have been most isolated. Thank you so so so so much. Dr. V. You are incredible and deserve the world. You have guided me throughout the past year and given me space to feel authentically and make some of my best friends ever. Michael, your work is so seen and appreciated. I can't imagine what it is like to be a PhD student, and TA for two classes! You put so much heart into your emails and presence, so when you told me that I put heart into my assignments, I cried because it means the most coming from you.

With so much love,
Giulia (and Seph and Ivy)

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Dear Dr. V and Michael,

I am so grateful for you two! Being in this class has been transformative, healing, and inspiring for me! It expands what I know can be possible in classrooms and beyond. So many moments in this class have shifted me toward more healing and a sense of new possibility. You both have offered such steady and sincere care, thoughtfulness, and love! I am in awe and gratitude. Thank you!

Love,

Audrey

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Dr V & Michael,

Show me a better duo I DARE you. I remember seeing the pride flag in Michael's background in your intro video and I IMMEDIATELY felt safe with y'all. I haven't quite grasped the words or understanding of how you both so beautifully carved out this space in six short weeks. My gratitude for the safety I felt upon entrance into this course is something I cannot sum up in words. You are the educators I want to be.  The passion, the advocacy for your students, the no-bullshit attitude in effort to fight for what is right, these are traits I hope to emulate in my own teaching. Class with y'all was my home in a time of  global and domestic chaos. Dr. V, Michael, you solidified my drive to pursue my doctorate so I can deepen my work and deepen the impact of healing centered teaching with youth. Thank you will never be enough. Can't wait to cross ya in my future academia <3

all the world's love,
Annabel Parker

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Dear Dr. V. & Michael,

Thank you again and again for the space you all create every week. Everything is intentional and designed with community in mind. When I started at HGSE, I set out to find a community and that is exactly what I have found thanks to you both! I'm sad this class is ending and that I won't get my daily VULNERAGEOUS weekly reminder, but I'm also so thankful for everything I have learned. I will take so much with me and it will ripple through my family and my community. I hope you are all aware of the impact you make in each of our lives. Hasta pronto!

Con amor,
Susie Morales 🤎

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Dear Dr. V and Michael,

Wow. What an amazing class. The only thing I can do is send gratitude hugs and hope you receive them. I am thankful for the space you created that's filled with love and gentle pushes to move beyond our comfort zones. Thank you for modeling what vulnerageousness looks like and for doing it with such wisdom and grace. I can say without a doubt that I am a better person and educator because I met both of you. Y'all the best!!

Love,
Quizayra

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Dr. V & Michael,
I never imagined that my education at Harvard could look like the environment that you both created so beautifully. It is so intentional, warm, and above all, rooted in love: The love that you both share for your work, THE work for healing and liberation, and the love you have for us is palpable through Zoom. I am so thankful to have taken your Ethnic Studies course last semester because WOW. That was a game changer in the way I approach my work as an artist-educator. Thank you both for your never-ending support and passion. I look forward to meeting you both in person some day soon!

With love,
Tiffany

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Dear Dr. V and Michael,
The space you have curated in T410D has been transformative for me. Both of you exude an authenticity that I can only hope to grow into as I continue to process the content I have learned from you. One of the most important things I think I've learned here at HGSE has been in your class, which is that my emotions and experiences are not only valid, but are indeed a form of knowledge that is worth sharing. I am so incredibly grateful to have sat in your *virtual* presence and to have learned from you. You're an amazing teaching team and I can't wait to continue learning from you both next academic year as I continue my HGSE journey in the CAS program. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Love,
Kiara

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Thank you for this beautiful class. I've never experienced a space in an academic environment that's unapologetically invested in emotional, spiritual, and social well-being. Each week, I learned something new about how to move forward in this world with more care, love, and intentionality. The space you created allowed for such honesty and vulnerability, as well as unapologetic commitment to making a more just world. This kind of class is necessary for a truly well-rounded, emancipatory education. I only wish there were 30 more Dr. V's and Michael's to go around so that everyone at HGSE could learn, heal, and grow from this amazing experience. Thank you for challenging me, believing in me, and showing so much generosity and kindness.

With love,
Brianna

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Dr. V!!!

I appreciate you more than words can express. You and your courses have single handedly made my Harvard experience. I didn’t know what to expect when I signed up to complete my Harvard degree from behind my computer, but I definitely didn’t expect to find someone as authentic, pure, loving, caring, and genuine as you who would make me feel more seen and cared for than any other educator I’ve had throughout my entire educational experience. You had me in Ethnic Studies breaking generational curses and healing dirty pain in the darkest parts of myself that I didn’t even think it was possible to shine light on. You are light. You are love. Earlier this week I joined a session in the Womxn of Color Conference, and you were sharing with us that you were feeling down and for the first time in your career, you were seriously questioning if being an educator was still your calling. I cannot answer that question for you. However, I can tell you that you have absolutely, positively changed my life for the better and given me a safe haven at Harvard where I could be loved and accepted for being my full, authentic self. You are the exact kind of educator I aspire to be, I pray that I can become half the educator as you some day. I feel blessed to know you and call you my Dr. V. I am so excited for the day when I will FINALLY be able to tell you how much you mean to me in person and give you the biggest hug and get into God knows what other shenanigans. But until then, love you to the moon and back.

In Lak’ech,

Aysha Pearson

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Michael & Dr. V,
With all the things thrown at us this year, you two have been a calming force that has helped me stay grounded. The reflections at the start of class, the careful selection of readings, and the thoughtful conversations have supported my in identifying the hopes and dreams I have for myself, my family, and my community. Thank you for such a powerful semester (& year if we're counting Ethnic Studies!). I pray we are able to meet in person one day. I will carry this experience with me always.

With Love,
Dana

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Dr. V & Michael,

Thank you both so much for all the love and effort you both have poured into this year in both T004 and T410D.  These classes have been so uplifting and nourishing in a year that was constantly trying to break us down.  V, your energy is infectious and you inspire me to be a better educator and bring my authentic self in every space I enter.  Michael, I look forward to your messages every week!  We've been so lucky to have you holding us down all year.  Thank you again for everything you both do.

Love,
Matt

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Dear Dr. V y Michael,
Words can't describe just how much I appreciate you both! This whole year learning from and with you both has been such a blessing in my journey. Thank you for sharing with us all your love and support as you built community during the times I needed it the most. I cannot wait until we can all reunite in-person and turn up! This, of course, includes my girl Canelita 💖 Abrazos always!
~Diana

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Dear Dr. V and Michael,

I am so sad that this course is over, but grateful that what I’ve learned and experienced these last few weeks will help me continue to grow and share with my friends, family, and community. Thank you so much for cultivating a space where I could feel big feelings, cry, and expand my mind. I aspire to approach my interactions with the kind of love, care, and vulnerageousness that y’all do. Thank you <3

With love,

Cecilia

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Michael,

You were one of the first people I met at HGSE. And you were definitely the first person to send me snail mail and that personal connection was so meaningful during our virtual learning.  Dr. V once described you as a warm hug-and i couldn’t agree more.  You provide much needed peace in the spaces that you occupy, and have a way of making people feel seen and heard.  Thank you for your dedication to community building-it has really made an impact.  Thank you for standing up for me too ❤️
-Deicy

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Dr. V,

When I think of you, the words mentor, strength, and safe come to mind.  You embody community and your light has inspired me to provide the same love to my students.  I want to be like you when I grow up, fierce, kind, and Oaklandish.  I have so much respect, and gratitude in your presence-thank you for being who you are-you add humanity to the HGSE learning community. Sending you and Canelita hugs.

-Deicy

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Dr. V and Michael,

You are a shade tree on a hot day, wrapping us in a protective, cozy cocoon away from all of the Harvard BS. I KNOW you don't have to go this far out of your way to make every detail of our time together feel thoughtful and human, and I see how hard you work for that beautiful goal, and I appreciate it so much.

Your radiant joy and care is revolutionary.

Radical Joy and Love,
Remy

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Dr. V and Michael,
Thank you for another wonderful course! I have enjoyed my time in Ethnic Studies and Towards Healing Centered Engagement with you both, more than you can imagine. I have learned so so so much about myself, history, and the world around me and I am so grateful that I was able to learn from the two of you twice during my time at HGSE!  I will miss you both and thank you for the wonderful memories :)

-- Amanda Hall

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Thank you Dr. V and Michael for your warmth, love and support! Thank you for being role models in healing and transformation. I'm so grateful for this learning experience and all I will take away! Muchas gracias! -Kim

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Dr. V and Michael,

Where to even begin. I am HELLA appreciative of all the love, support, encouragement, warmth,  etc., etc. - the list can really go on and on - that you both extended to me throughout the year. Thank you for making this space a real and safe one for me.

Dr. V! Girl! You are so dope. Thank you for all the ways you show up unapologetically and authentically yourself. It is extremely powerful to see womxn and professors like you in spaces like Harvard. Your passion and love for what you do is undoubtedly evident and I thank the universe for putting a role model like you in my life.

Michael, you have changed my life! Thank you for literally EVERYTHING. Having you as a friend, mentor, supporter, TF and advisor has been one of the biggest blessings - one that I do not take for granted. May we continue to learn from your beautiful and brilliant mind for generations to come.

Much love, respect, and admiration,
Marilin Morales

P.S. I will miss both of your beautiful smiles!

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Thank you for your wisdom, love and healing. - Hector

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Dr. V & Michael,

Thank you for all the love, wisdom, healing and support you both have provided us (especially me!) this past year. Thank you for constantly inspiring me to bring my true, full self to every space that I inhibit. Thank you for providing me with the necessary tools to engage in my own radical healing. I appreciate y'all so much and I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity to get to know y'all. this past year I love you both so much!!

- Jonathan

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I cannot thank either one of you enough for the mark you all have made in my life. I look forward to meeting you both in the near future. I'm sorry y'all that this is long!

Michael- You have been an example for me as an afro-latina. I remember watching your intro video for ethnic studies and I saw your skull makeup and was like "yoooooooo, who is this guy? He's dope! He's allowed to do that at Harvard? For real?! Okay then!!!" You made me realize that even though I was Harvard, I had an obligation to my ancestors and myself to show up authentically. I cannot thank you enough for making me feel like I belonged here.

Dr. V- My Sag sister. You have changed my life for real. I really hope to tell you in person some day. I imagine us eating some pho, laughing, crying  and just vibing together in community. You have a calling on your life and your light is undeniably bright. I know that you get tired and weary because the work you do is extremely heavy, yet I cannot thank you enough for shining and keeping it real on days that you don't feel like it. It because of your realness, I realized how powerful listening to my body is.

Thank you again!! 💙 💙