Chapter 28 - The End of the Invisible Hands
A week after successfully defending my Ph.D., Hartwell State University announced a major administrative appointment: Dr. Chloe Watson had been officially appointed as a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Economics and chair of the university’s new Campus Operations and Labor Equity Initiative.
My first official act as professor was to establish a dedicated annual scholarship fund for non-traditional students and facilities staff members seeking to pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees while working on campus. We named it the Foundational Hands Scholarship Fund.
On a warm June afternoon, the university held a special dedication ceremony for the scholarship fund in the grand alumni ballroom—the exact same room where, three years earlier, I had stood up in my eight-year-old navy dress to receive the Distinguished Staff Service Award while my parents' phone buzzed eleven times in my lap.
This time, the front row seats were occupied by Donna, Curtis, Uncle Arthur, and several hardworking custodial staff members holding scholarship acceptance letters in their hands.
When I stepped up to the podium, I looked out over the glittering crystal chandeliers and the packed room of students, professors, and university leaders.
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"For a long time," I began, my voice clear and resonant, "I believed that success meant escaping the rooms where hard work was hidden. But I was wrong. Success means shining a light so bright on those rooms that no one can ever pretend they don't exist again."
The applause that followed was deafening, shaking the chandeliers overhead and filling the grand hall with warmth and light.
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