I Am, Because You Are: Building Belonging for Educators Far From Home

There is a well-known African proverb that teaches, “A person is a person because of other people.” Often expressed as Ubuntu—“I am, because you are”—this truth reminds us that our humanity is shaped through our relationships with one another. When a community is healthy, engaged, and united in purpose, it becomes a source of strength—lifting us in moments of exhaustion and renewing hope in times of disillusionment. Together, we grow stronger and go farther than we ever could alone.

Consider the scope of this work for a moment. I have the privilege of supporting a community of 60 international educators from across the globe, each serving students in classrooms across 32 school sites in Greenville County, South Carolina. Our district educates more than 77,000 students from K4 through grade 12. In the spirit of Ubuntu—“I am, because we are”—this work is rooted in relationship and shared responsibility. While I am one person, my work is made meaningful through the collective strength of this community. Each day, I serve alongside others so that every educator feels seen and supported, and every student has the opportunity to thrive.

At first glance, our team members appear to have little in common. They come from different geographies, carrying regionally rooted foods, dialects, and traditions—each layered with meanings known most deeply by family and community. The threads of their traditional garments are as distinct as the journeys that brought them here. For many, life “back home” continues in parallel time zones, where floods, typhoons, political unrest, and the loss of loved ones unfold as distant notifications on their social media accounts. Yet even across oceans, these experiences remain woven into who they are, reminding us that no one arrives untouched by the lives they leave behind.

What unites this community is a shared moment of arrival in Greenville. As they step onto the escalator toward baggage claim, palms slightly damp with anticipation, their eyes search for a familiar sign of welcome. At the bottom, I stand holding a sign bearing a logo they recognize and their name written in bold black marker, an American flag in my other hand. In that moment, Ubuntu becomes visible. Relief, tears, and smiles meet my gaze—not because I am the destination, but because I represent belonging. This is the first affirmation that they are not alone—that their brave journey has grown the circle and deepened the ties that connect us all.

From that moment forward, time begins to move differently. The five-year visa clock starts its quiet countdown as classrooms are arranged, desks positioned, and linens placed on beds that will offer rest in an unfamiliar land. These acts—small but deeply human—carry the weight of transition. They both stir and steady the emotions that shape the cultural exchange experience. In the spirit of Ubuntu, this work is not merely about relocation or instruction; it is about living, learning, and becoming together—recognizing that each individual’s success is bound to the care, presence, and shared responsibility of the whole.

Ubuntu demonstrates its pervasive relevance every day in a million tiny ways. Through advocacy, celebration, professional support, and even shared mourning and discontent, I am, because we are. The unity of our purpose, the high quality of our professional insights, and our personal resilience as individuals and as a collective inspire us. May we continue to walk forward together, leading, supporting, and growing side by side.