My name is Dalton Cooper, a rising senior at Whitman College, alumni of Wilson Magnet High School, and Rochester native.  For a long time I've wanted to be a teacher at a city school; it's gotten to the point where I can't imagine doing anything else.  This sense of vocation was the culmination of my years in the Rochester City School District.  My experience in the Rochester schools wasn't one of the underperformance, lackluster test scores, and unimpressive graduation rates often described by the media; it was one of constant support and optimism from a community of both students and faculty.  I am indebted to my education in Rochester and hope to contribute towards creating similar experiences for a younger generation.  This is no small task.  I have a lot to learn.  I have been blessed with several opportunities to grow as an educator since starting college and I am thankful for my internship with the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence as part of my journey.

I chose to work with the Gandhi Institute because of their dedication to being an agent of positive change in Rochester using the principles of nonviolence to transform educational spaces and create a learning environment that accommodates the needs of individual students, as well as the community.  I hope that working with the Gandhi Institute to fulfill their mission will give me confidence and experience using nonviolence as a mechanism to create learning spaces consistent with the goals I have set for myself as an educator.  I am excited to work with the Gandhi Institute this summer for that reason.  This opportunity is possible due to the time and generosity of many people; as such, I would like to acknowledge the Gandhi Institute staff for accommodating me, the Whitman College Student Engagement Center for providing the grant being used to fund this internship, and all the professors, friends, family, and colleagues that have provided various forms of guidance and support.