I took those words very literally.
Where should I put myself?
I went to the Mississippi Delta, one of the poorest regions in the United States.
This is a place shaped by a powerful history.
In the 1960s, African Americans risked their lives to fight for education, to fight for the right to vote.
I wanted to be a part of that change, to help young teenagers graduate and go to college.
When I got to the Mississippi Delta, it was a place that was still poor, still segregated, still dramatically in need of change.
My school, where I was placed, had no library, no guidance counselor, but it did have a police officer. Half the teachers were substitutes and when students got into fights, the school would send them to the local county jail.
This is the school where I met Patrick.
He was 15 and held back twice, he was in the eighth grade.