I had high hopes for LIFTOFF by Donovan Livingston, but it frankly read as more petulant than inspiring to me, even though it is subtitled "from the Classroom to the Stars." Maybe that was because this was originally crafted to be a spoken verse graduation speech and therefore it conveyed a sense of yearning and need for dialogue?

Somehow, LIFTOFF just felt like it was not directed to my teachers or students who already read and discuss The Other Wes Moore. They might honestly be more interested in the foreword Moore wrote or in his organization, BridgeEdU, which works to make college completion more attainable.

If you wish, you can decide for yourself; here is a YouTube video link to Donovan Livingston's speech.

Live links in my original post:
http://bridgeedu.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eUl4gF0ED4