‘Promise of a Pencil’ Author to Visit

October 5, 2015

Adam Braun, author of The Promise of a Pencil: How an Ordinary Person Can Create Extraordinary Change, will speak at Johnson State College on Oct. 26 as part of the college’s annual Common Reading Initiative. The public is invited to join students, faculty and staff at the free event at 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26, on stage at the Dibden Center for the Arts.

First-year students at Johnson State College read and discussed Braun’s book as part of the college’s annual Common Reading Initiative.

The Promise of a Pencil is Braun’s first-person account of his journey from high-powered Wall Street consultant to founder of the non-profit Pencils of Promise (PoP), an organization he started with just $25 that has now built over 200 schools in developing countries.

At JSC, Braun will discuss the events that led him to found Pencils of Promise (PoP), his experience growing the organization, and the mantras that guide his business and structure his book. The evening will end with a question-and-answer session and a book signing.

Braun is also the director of the Global Education Platform, an initiative conceived by the United Nations that works to identify and promote breakthroughs in education. His work has been recognized by the United Nations, Wired, Forbes’ “30 Under 30,” the Clinton Global Initiative, Business Insider‘s “40 Under 40,” as well as World Economic Forum’s first 10 “Global Shapers,” among others. This year, he received the Jefferson Award, the United States’ most prestigious award for public service.

The Common Reading Initiative is overseen by JSC’s Office of First-Year Experience. For more information, contact Margo Warden, director of the First-Year Experience, 802-635-1474 or Margaret.Warden@jsc.edu.