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Doug Luffborough
BA’93
When I was growing up, my mother always told me that life is a matter of choice, that attitude makes all the difference between living a purpose-driven life and simply getting by.
Though we lived humbly, supported only by her salary as a housekeeper, my mother instilled in her children a respect for education, believing it the key to a life of empowerment, influence, and financial independence. And she was much more concerned about her children’s character than their accomplishments.
It was with these gifts from my mother that I stood at a podium in Boston Garden on June 19, 1993, to deliver the student address at the Northeastern commencement ceremonies before honorary degree recipient President Bill Clinton; an assembled crowd of more than 14,000 graduates, family members, and friends; and a nationwide audience of television viewers.
Many people probably thought my commencement speech and my subsequent visit with President Clinton at the White House would be my brief fifteen minutes of fame. In fact, they were just the beginning of my life in public service.
My experiences at Northeastern changed my life and gave me an opportunity to exemplify what my mother had taught me. They prompted me to work hard to develop my full potential and reach my dream of making a difference in the lives of people all over the world, through empowerment, motivation, and education.
After I graduated from NU, I worked first at the John Hancock Insurance Company, then at City Year, Inc., in Boston. City Year, an Americorps program, is a domestic Peace Corps that unites young adults from diverse racial, cultural, socioeconomic, and geographic backgrounds for a year of full-time community service, civic engagement, and leadership development. City Year taught me that in order to lead in our communities, we must first learn to serve.
In 1997, I left City Year to pursue a master’s degree at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, alongside my brother, Darrell. When we graduated, our goal was to continue to honor our humble beginnings by returning to the community to empower others to attain leadership through education.
By then, I had realized that turning the hearts of young people and families from despair and non-action to positive thinking and action would be the greatest legacy I could leave behind in this world.
So I have visited schools and colleges all over the United States, sharing with students my testimony of hope, hard work, perseverance, and a positive attitude, which I call “From Homelessness, to the White House, and to Harvard University.” I’ve spoken before thousands of people; I’ve appeared as a guest on radio and television shows; and my story has been recounted in many newspapers.
Today, I live in San Diego, California, working as an independent educational consultant with the Creative Seeds Network, a multidisciplinary training and consulting organization that teaches effective educational techniques drawn from the fields of accelerated and experiential learning. Creative Seeds provides resources, tools, environments, and models that promote sustained growth and learning in individuals, organizations, and communities.
Through the company, I give speeches and lead training sessions all over the world. This past fall, for example, we developed youth and family programs in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia, and we look forward to returning to those countries this year, as well as extending our services to Australia.
If I could remind all Northeastern alumni and students of just one thing, it would be this: Remember how important it is to surround yourself with people you want to emulate, people who truly want you to succeed in every area of your life. Listen to those who give you direction and advice. But if those who counsel you do not model their own advice, find someone else to mentor you.
And remember that someone’s opinion of you does not necessarily have to become your reality. As a senior in high school, I was told that I wasn’t college material, that the best option for me would be to support my family by working in the hometown factory.
I’m thankful I decided not to take that advice. If I had, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to speak around the world—or perhaps even to write this article. I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to reach so many people and touch so many hearts.
As always, I thank from the bottom of my heart those who have been my greatest support—my wife, Claire; my two families, the Luffborough-Mensahs and the Navarros; and my close friends—for believing in me and letting me dream.
And I’ll never forget the belief my mother ingrained in me: that we choose what our life will be.
You may e-mail Luffborough at <doug@creativeseeds.com>.
To obtain more information about Creative Seeds, visit <www.creativeseeds.com>.