Doran Gresham, assistant professor of special education and disability studies, has long believed that when you see a need in the world, there is no greater joy than linking arms with others who share your passion to address it.
“Howard Thurman had this quote where he said, ‘Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and do it.’ Because what the world needs is people who come alive,” Gresham said. “I think back to church and the songs we used to sing. One went, ‘There is no greater joy.’ And it’s true. When you link arms with people whose souls are on fire, there's no greater calling. You’re doing exactly what you’re meant to be doing.”
In 2023, when one of his graduate students, Elaine Jeanette Walton, M.A. ’24, spoke to him about the need she was seeing for more equitable education opportunities in Navrongo, Ghana, he was more than ready to join her efforts.
At the time, Walton was also taking a class from Laura Engel, a professor of international education and international affairs and the UNESCO Chair at GW. She asked Engel to help as well.
“Addressing these kinds of issues is work we should strive to support,” Engel said. “This was a fantastic opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration and to connect research to real world policy and practice.”
In that spirit of collaboration, the three teamed up to launch the International Inclusive Education Symposium. The hybrid event was designed to train educators in Navrongo dedicated to equity, community and actionable change.