Good NRGY Goes to Harvard

On October 9th 2019, The Good NRGY Basketball program went on an exciting trip to Harvard University. We started off our day touring the campus and allowing the kids to get a taste of the college life. They learned about the history of the dorms, the rigorous academic curriculum, and got a chance to meet a couple college basketball coaches, an amazing experience for young HS athletes.

Although this may sound like a typical visit to a top University, we attended Harvard this day for a very special reason. We were in town for a discussion on prison reform. This discussion was led by Harvard Commencement Speaker and great friend of mine Edyson Julio aka Professor Ed! He capped off the night by interviewing Casanova, a prominent Hip Hop artist from Brooklyn who shared his unique story.

During this conversation Julio asked Casanova about his time growing up in the mean streets of Brooklyn, falling into a life of crime and ultimately ending up in jail for 7 years before changing his life around and becoming a music star. This conversation was very important to hear not only for the young men of Good NRGY but also for the people at Harvard who don't get to hear these testimonies of young black men in America struggling to find themselves amidst a world of violence and chaos. This experience helped these young men see their own potential and one day may aspire to have their own lecture at a prestigious University! #GooodNRGY