Lori Stern
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
Mr. K had asked Walt to come up before class started.
I really appreciate it.
The three of us sat down at a table.
Walt was tall and lean with a quick, bright smile.
He had on the classic high school uniform, backpack, dark ripped jeans, sweatshirt.
And he was also wearing a big gold medallion with four tiny photos in it.
It was a kid and some grownups.
I asked him about it.
Do you wear that every day, special days?
Every day.
You do?
I don't ever take it off.
Aisha, he later told me those pictures were of family members who died.
Well, it was because of how he acted out.
But in order to understand it, you have to understand his background.
He has seen a lot of trauma.
So, Aisha, that medallion Walt wears, that's just a glimpse of what he's been through.
Walt was born in 2006, and court records indicate his household was violent.
Walt's father beat his mother, and he was in and out of jail when Walt was little.
His father is now in prison, serving 25 years for sexual assault.