Brandon Baptiste grew up in a Haitian home where every guest “crossed the threshold into Haiti,” greeted parents first, and learned that community and respect come before everything. In this episode, Brandon, now an Assistant Director of Training and Program Development, traces his path from the only Haitian family on the block in New Hampshire, with parents commuting daily to Boston, to leading 100+ peer-mediation trainings across NYC schools. He shares how Haitian values of faith, service, and “How can I help?” shaped his trauma-informed approach to conflict resolution, and why immigrant grit prepared him to start his role on the very day the city shut down and still build programs that last.
A self-described “learned leader,” Brandon opens up about choosing discomfort to grow, the difference between being good at something and being good at the process to get there, and how unmet needs and miscommunication sit at the heart of most conflicts. He honors the siblings and mentors who sharpened his competitive drive, explains why he left security work to help kids before harm happens, and offers practical tools any student, educator, or child of immigrants can use to turn tension into understanding.
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