At ILTexas, International is our first name, and North Richland Hills K-8 student Pity Kanum too that literally this summer! She traveled to Washington, D.C. for the Do the Write Thing National Recognition Summit, where she was recognized as one of only 27 students nationwide selected to serve as a National Student Ambassador for helping stop youth violence.

Do the Write Thing is a national violence prevention program that gives students a platform to share their stories through writing. The program asks students to reflect on three central questions: What are the causes of youth violence? How has violence affected your life? And what can you do to reduce it?

In her essay, Pity wrote about how violence in Rwanda and the Congo tore her family apart. Her parents, members of the Hutu-Tutsi tribe, were forced to flee their homes for safety—resulting in Pity being born in a refugee camp. She also reflected on the emotional separation from her culture and heritage due to the violence, and her deep longing to connect with the parts of her identity she may never fully know.

Her powerful essay was included in a special Library of Congress collection titled Tapestry of Voices, Threads of Change. While in Washington, D.C., Pity was selected as one of only four students to read their essay on the Library of Congress floor.

In addition to the summit, she participated in a number of high-profile events. She attended Texas Tuesday with Senator Ted Cruz, joined an anti-violence planning session led by D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, and had dinner at the Residence of the Ambassador of Kuwait. Pity also sat in on a courtroom lecture at the United States Supreme Court and spent the day at Capitol Hill.

ILTexas congratulates Pity Kanuma for her outstanding achievement and powerful representation on the national stage.