You spoke to me and the rest of my City Year team earlier today and I’d just like to once again thank you for your truly inspiring words. I thought that the most impactful thing that you said to us was during the break, when you chose our inspirational word to be “heartbeat”. I’ll be working in Hopkins Lloyd Community School, placed in the middle of 53206. I’ll be sure to take your messages to heart when working with these students, and remember to pass along the important values that you have learned through your time living in the Milwaukee area.

I met Ajamou at a state-wide leadership conference several years ago (2018). In a panel discussion of notable leaders, Mr. Butler stood shoulders above the rest. Not because he was the most credentialed or had more than the others to say, but because he used his platform to talk about the programs and people to whom he had been assigned instead of centering himself. That’s what exceptional leaders do. Exceptional leaders do not measure their success by
trophies or accolades. They measure their success by the number of leaders for whom they can serve, support, and mentor in real-time. That’s the kind of servant leader Mr. Butler has proven himself to be in my life and the lives of countless others.

In the time I’ve known you, you’ve shown me a lot. Not only did you help me to realize my true potential, but also tap into that potential and grow as a man. You’ve shown me that I am not limited to the hood.
Seeing you work and constantly grow, knowing you grew up in the hood as well, shows me that my circumstances and surroundings do not define me as a man nor as a person. My circumstances and surroundings do not determine my future and they do not pick the path I choose to walk. I am now more determined than ever to make it out the hood, only to return and help #HealTheHood.