I didn’t always appreciate my childhood education.
Let me take you back to the late eighties and early nineties, to my elementary school days in The Bronx. My public school had a program called Talented and Gifted, or “TAG” as we called it. I’m a bit hazy on the details now, but to get into this elite group, students had to take a test and score in the top percentile.
Every year, my mom signed me up for the test, and every year, I wasn’t interested. I knew I was smart—always at the top of my class with perfect grades—but I didn’t want to be separated from my friends and the classmates I’d grown up with. So, each year, when my mom made me take the test, I deliberately tanked it. I knew if I passed, she’d make me join TAG or some other specialized program, and I wasn’t willing to leave my comfort zone.
Looking back, that was easily one of the worst decisions I’ve made. It wasted my mom’s time and effort, along with the support of educators who believed in me and wanted more for me. Most of all, I wasted my own potential. That was my first experience with self-sabotage. I didn’t realize how much I was taking my education for granted. I thought, since I was already doing well, I didn’t need to push myself any harder. I was content to coast, never realizing that school would get much tougher down the road.
As I got older, watching my high school peers get into Ivy League schools or other prestigious universities sparked jealousy in me. I’d sit there wondering why I wasn’t chosen, why I didn’t get in. The truth? I hadn’t even tried. I’d always been a good student who didn’t have to work too hard, so I just assumed that principals, deans, and educators would recognize my brilliance and hand me the keys to the kingdom.
It’s embarrassing to admit now, but it took me a long time to figure out that life doesn’t work that way. A lifetime of reading fiction and watching TV had me half-expecting a fairy godmother to appear, wave her wand, and make all my dreams come true because I’d been a “good person.” Of course, that’s not how it goes.
Lately, I’d been thinking that if I’d had this guest’s words in my life when I was growing up, things may have turned out vastly different for me.
I truly don’t know how to write about my guest in Episode 149 as her story is easily one of the most remarkable personal narratives I’ve ever heard first hand. In this episode, I had the privilege of speaking with Itto Outini—an extraordinary journalist, Fulbright scholar, co-founder of The DateKeepers and author of the forthcoming memoir Blindness is the Light of My Life. Her journey from a remote village in Morocco to becoming a leader in journalism is one of resilience, courage, and the transformative power of education.
Born in a rural village with no electricity, running water, or access to formal education, Itto’s early life was marked by adversity. Orphaned at a young age and taken in by distant family members, she nurtured a love for storytelling and language, among nature and domestic animals, speaking Tamazigh as her first language, and later mastering Arabic, French, and English.
Her story took an unimaginable turn at age 17 when she was blinded by a family member and abandoned in a hospital. This tragic event could have defined her, but instead, it became a turning point. Newly blind and living on the streets of Morocco, Itto began a journey of self-reinvention. Her desire and hunger for an education led her to teach herself Braille in a single day and refusing to accept the limitations others placed on her. Teachers told her she was too old to learn English, and that as a “Berber” girl, she would not amount to anything in life. Itto not only fought to survive life on the streets but also racial discrimination with this attitude: “I didn’t want to waste my time complaining about what I didn’t have. Instead, I took advantage of what I had and made the best of it.”
What struck me most in our conversation was how Itto’s pursuit of education wasn’t just about acquiring knowledge— she said that many times, when she lived on the streets, she protected her books from the elements before protecting herself—it was about survival and self-empowerment. She faced the Moroccan education system’s strict demands and later navigated life in the U.S. as a Fulbright scholar. Through it all, she believed in the power of learning and the doors it could open.
In our interview, Itto shared her connection to the Tamazigh language. She spoke of how mastering multiple languages gave her the tools to connect with the world. A touching moment she shared was about helping a frustrated traveler at the airport during her first trip to the US by switching seamlessly between Egyptian Arabic and English. This simple act of kindness exemplifies how language has practical power—helping her adapt to new environments and connect with others.
Itto’s story is a powerful reminder that our circumstances do not define us; our choices do. Her perseverance is a testament to the transformative power of education and the endless possibilities it unlocks. I encourage you to listen to our full conversation and keep an eye out for her memoir, Blindness is the Light of My Life, which promises to share more stories from her remarkable life.
A Little Note from Me
Speaking with Itto for this conversation had me reflecting on my own life and choices for a very long time afterward. So many of us walk through life without truly understanding how much we have control over the path we take. So many of us take everyday experiences for granted. We lament having to go to class and take tests. School is a popularity contest and a chore. Ignorance is rewarded and knowledge is derided. Listening to her story is refreshing in a way that reminds me that life is what you make of it, not just what is handed to you. It also reminds me that there are no handouts in life; we have to work hard to make our goals a reality. Itto’s relentless spirit and fearlessness has truly touched my life and I have been trying to take a little bit of her spirit and her attitude into my life each day.
Tell me what some of your takeaways are from this episode? Are there any things that you encountered during your school days that you would be mortified to do now? Has anyone ever come into your life to make you reevaluate your priorities? Let me know in the comments!
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