Attendee Feedback on the 2014 SAYS Summit

“By now, I’m sure you’ve all received many thanks for your hard work in putting this event together over the last six years, to which I can only add my own humble compliments: Wellman Hall, the Quad, Freeborn Hall, and all of UC Davis for that matter was absolutely illuminated this past weekend by the fierce radiance of the SAYS Summit, for which I can only imagine tides of roaring applause from the individuals after whom the workshops of the event were named. And I do not mean this lightly; your work is historic; for bringing together young people of all backgrounds together, it creates a spectacular vision within the chronology of activism at UC Davis, within Sacramento, and within the various, transnational struggles to uplift consciousness worldwide. I had the chance to sit in on two workshops, and found myself impressed both by the leadership skills of the facilitators, as well as the maturity and intellectualism with which the students responded. Now, I want to know how I can take part. I recognize that organizations like SAYS are only possible through the contributions of each student, parent, volunteer, and every other member of the community who is willing to create a better world; I am here at Davis precisely because of the presence of such figures in my own life, and now I reflect their will, struggling to do justice to all the sacrifices they’ve made for me to get here. The road has been jagged. It has been cruel and unrelenting. And yet, in the matter of a few weeks, I will be the first of my family to graduate from a four-year university.” – UC Davis Undergraduate

“Hello, I got the great privilege of hearing you [Vajra Watson] speak and I truly thank you. In a matter of minutes your words already had me thinking and speaking differently. Personally, your words have motivated me. It is the end of the school year and my classes coincidentally are becoming harder as we get closer to transcripts.  Each day I get closer to wanting to give up, but your words have given me an extra push and I refuse to give up. So in advance I want to thank you for contributing to my success.” – local high school student