The Unexpected Storyteller
When I was twenty-one, I wrote an application to the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Maine. The opening line essentially read, “I can’t write; please help.”
I applied as a recent international affairs graduate because I planned to work abroad in refugee camps and aimed to learn how to document the experience of displaced people effectively as an advocacy tool.
Remember Felipe and avoid stereotypes
I was excited to log on to Zoom for my coaching session with Felipe, a young man from Colombia preparing for a storytelling event in his high school featuring immigrant voices. As I started to inquire about his story, he interrupted me to ask if he could say a few words first.
Employees unpack stories to meet DEI goals and build community at Boston’s “top-ranked place to work,” Alnylam Pharmaceuticals*
When Salil Patel volunteered for his company’s storytelling program, the Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals was curious how he would possibly condense a decades-long journey from Uganda to the United States into eight minutes.
His coach Cheryl Hamilton, who launched the series at the International Institute of New England before founding and leading the program at Stellar Story Company, explained how he needed to focus on one central theme. Salil chose anti-immigrant bias. Eventually, he shared his story during a live virtual event for colleagues from Alnylam’s offices worldwide.
Nonprofit leaders improve storytelling skills thanks to Life Science Cares Boston
When done skillfully and authentically, storytelling can bring incredible benefits to any nonprofit organization.
This is why Life Science Cares Boston (LSC) turned to Stellar Story Company to train nonprofit professionals in storytelling. The philanthropic organization activates the financial and human capital of the life sciences industry and partners with nonprofits to disrupt the cycle of poverty and inequality in our communities. They make impactful grants to community nonprofits that implement solutions in the areas of basic needs, education, and economic opportunity and then partner with these organizations to provide dynamic, holistic support.
Stellar’s Lorena Hernández Leonard encourages student leaders to share their stories at Bunker Hill Community College
When Lorena Hernández Leonard moved to the United States from Colombia as a child, one of the many challenges she faced was education. As a non-English speaker, school was often harder for her than for other students. Over many years, Lorena’s persistence paid off, as she graduated from UMass – Amherst and later earned a master’s in communications and marketing at Emerson College. Today she’s an accomplished bilingual writer, editor, and storyteller.
Stories help us heal: Stellar’s founder responds to mass shooting in her hometown
On Thursday, October 26, I went to work not knowing the names of the people murdered during a mass shooting in my hometown of Lewiston/Auburn, Maine, locally referred to as “The Twin Cities.” Before leaving, I told my husband I was unsure if I could effectively do my job. As executive director of Stellar Story Company, I was scheduled to be at St. John’s Prep in Danvers, MA, leading several hours of Suitcase Stories®, a program that explores global migration through storytelling.