"Beyond your curriculum, beyond your standards.

I stand here, a manifestation of love and pain,

With veins pumping revolution,” Harvard Master’s of Education graduate Donovan Livingston said in a moving speech during Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Convocation exercises.

In his speech, Livingston used a spoken-word poem to remind of the importance of education in unlocking student potential regardless of circumstance.

For Livingston, it was his 7th grade teacher Ms. Parker who taught him beyond classroom benchmarks and "introduced me to the sound of my own voice.”

"She gave me a stage. A platform.

She told me that our stories are ladders

That make it easier for us to touch the stars.

So climb and grab them.

Keep climbing. Grab them.”

Livingston talked about the importance of equality in education and that every child be alerted to his or her potential “from right where they stand.”

A video of Livingson’s speech has been viewed millions of times, inspiring much more than just the education community.

Watch the full video below.

Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

5/27/2016