We welcomed Jared Genser as a special guest to the Cardigan Mountain School community last week. Mr. Genser is an international human rights lawyer best known for freeing political prisoners around the world. During his day at Cardigan, he visited classrooms, engaged with students, and was a guest speaker during our weekly chapel service.
During chapel, Mr. Genser shared the work he has done with artists and political activists all over the world, and our students were inspired by his courageous and meaningful work.
He also shared five lessons he has learned from his experiences and asked our students to consider them as they shape their own futures: follow your passion, exercise leadership, persevere, volunteer, and learn about the world. He concluded with a quote attributed to Indian activist Mahatma Gandhi which inspires his work every day to advance human rights: "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
Mr. Genser’s visit to our school was largely due to the generosity of the family of current student Carter Davis ’22, and we truly appreciate the opportunity to learn from this global figure in the fight for human rights.