This year’s festival was not our best. The final showcase could have been better, and the overall experience could have been more enjoyable for everyone. However, the personal growth we experienced was significant.

​

Neither Rich nor I was new to the festival. Having participated before, we thought we already knew what to expect. But this time was different.

​

The director of Heritage told us about a group of teenage girls they had rescued from forced marriages in underdeveloped rural areas of Kenya. Hearing their stories made me realize something important.

​

By sharing our cultures, experiences, and different perspectives on the world, we are doing more than simply introducing these children to something new. We are showing them that life can be different from what they have always known, and that their futures do not have to be defined by their circumstances.

​

There is only so much we can do to change their lives directly. But once they begin to see the possibilities beyond the world they have always known, there is no limit to the dreams they may begin to pursue.