Student Poem Featured in Commencement Program

 

Rebekah Wilkins has been writing as long as she can remember, making short storybooks and play scripts when she was younger – she won an award for her writing in kindergarten. She gravitated to poetry as a tool to connect with her feelings and deal with the stress of school over the years. Rebekah, 22, took a break from writing poems while concentrating on her studies as a student at Salt Lake Community College. Last year, upon the passing of her grandfather, who is from Ecuador and a published author, she was inspired to begin writing again for him.

Rebekah’s poem, “Dear Mr. Hughes:” was chosen to be printed in this year’s commencement program. Below is the poem in both Spanish and English and a little background about the author, who also works at SLCC.

Age:

22

Residence:

West Valley City

Year began taking classes at SLCC:

Fall 2016 as a concurrent enrollment student, fall 2017 as a full-time student

What year/semester do you expect to graduate:

Summer 2021, and then I will be returning in fall 2021 to work toward my dental hygiene degree

Degree you receive from SLCC:

AS in General Studies this summer

How did you find out about the opportunity to have your poem published in the commencement program:

SLCC Today

Dream job and Plan B:

Dream job would be pediatric dentistry, and Plan B is dental hygienist.

Inspiration for your poem:

Sometime in junior high, we started learning about the Harlem Renaissance, and I found myself intrigued by Langston Hughes’ work and the meanings and energy that he embedded in his poems. He was my introduction to not only social activism, but to poetry as well, and I found myself completely fascinated by his literature. As I stared at a blank piece of paper a few months ago, trying to think of something to write pertaining to graduation, the line “hold fast to dreams” played through my head and I made that connection. It inspired me to write a response to his poem because, although I am finally graduating, it definitely came with many struggles and times where I was close to giving up. I finally found a dream and stuck with it, leading me to this point of graduating and moving forward with my education. I knew I had to write about Langston Hughes’ poem after finding myself relating to that poem deeply. After writing it in English, I had a strong feeling to write it in Spanish as well. As I mentioned, my grandfather had passed a year prior and, in a way, I felt that I needed to represent my family in Ecuador and my grandfather in a way. They’ve supported me from a distance. So, I decided to write in Spanish as well.

Any previous publication of your poetry or writing:

I don’t think I have anything officially published. My teacher included me in her student portfolio a few semesters ago and that essay can be found here. It is a memoir about an experience I had in my country. I always talk about the good and perfect side of Ecuador but never acknowledged some of the issues that they have there because it’s my paradise, so I wrote about that.

Family connections to SLCC:

SLCC has been a major part of my life. Both of my parents graduated from SLCC within the last 5 years. My mom graduated in 2016 and my dad graduated in 2017. Along with working full time and taking care of my siblings and I, they were able to make it through school. Which I can’t even imagine how difficult that would have been. My mom graduated as a graduate of excellence in her year which in a way inspired me to work hard on my education to follow in her footsteps. I am the first grandchild on both sides to get a post high school degree and hope to help my cousins and siblings get through school as well. 

Current employment:

I work with the Student Center Operations Department as the Administrative Assistant for Dr. Ahmad Varedi. I’ve worked with this department for about two years now but have been working at SLCC for a little over three years total. It has been a major help working at SLCC because I have direct access to the resources I need, and all my supervisors have been very flexible with my school schedule. It has also helped me understand the back-end side of things and understand the processes that SLCC has for their students. 

Querido Señor Hughes:

Una oda a Sueños (de Langston Hughes)

By, Rebekah Wilkins

 

“¡Aférrarse a los sueños!”, usted grita desde las nubes altas.

Señor Hughes, mantuve mis sueños tan cerca que me impulsaron a través del cielo nocturno como una estrella fugaz.

Lo logré Señor Hughes, y planté esa estrella en la Tierra debajo de la nieve helada. 

Un árbol ha crecido. 

 

Mientras yacía debajo de sus ramas sólidas, observo a las aves de las alas rotas agruparse entre sus hojas.

Como verá usted, Señor Hughes, ellas descansan aquí mientras el árbol las nutre de su reñida batalla. 

De aquellas que una vez habían perdido su vuelo, ahora se elevan a través del cielo azul, dejando caer sus semillas a medida que avanzan.

El campo, una vez estéril, es ahora un bosque tan espeso que alberga a todas las almas rotas que necesitaban su aliento para:

“Aférrarse a los sueños”

-----

Dear Mr. Hughes:

An ode to Dreams (by Langston Hughes)

By, Rebekah Wilkins

 

“Hold fast to dreams” you shouted from the clouds above

 

Mr. Hughes, I held my dreams so close they shot me across the night sky like a shooting star.

I’ve made it Mr. Hughes, and I planted that star in the Earth below the frozen snow.

A tree has sprouted

 

While I lay below its solid branches, I watch the broken-winged birds flock within its leaves.

You see Mr. Hughes, they come here to rest while the tree nurtures them from their hard-fought battle.

Of whom had once lost their flight now soar across the clear blue skies, dropping their seeds as they go.

The once barren field is now a forest so thick it homes all the broken souls who needed your strength to,

“Hold fast to (their) dreams”