Rais was hands down one of the best speakers AsPIRE has had yet! ~ Ultimate Kronos Group (UKG)
- This was very motivating and hopeful of the human spirit of overcoming and forgiveness.
- Rais story was very inspiring. It was a message that I needed to hear because I have been harboring unforgiveness that has caused issues within my family. So, thank you for the words of wisdom.
- This was amazing, I am so glad I came today. My belief in the ability of people to change for the better was reinforced by the story of his attacker’s complete change.
- This is a very informative session that showed the importance of maintaining a growth mindset even in times of extreme difficulty. The contrast between the experience of the speaker and the experience of the perpetrator also demonstrated the differences. It was toward the end of the perpetrators life that he began to practice a growth mindset. Also, faith played a tremendous role in the speaker’s life that helped to continue the growth mindset.
- He provided such profound insights for living in a world without hate.
- Rais Bhuiyan was so inspiring, I am impressed by his fulfilling that promise he made to God in such a far-reaching way.
- Very empathetic, insightful, and concise public speaker! Such an honor to hear his story.
- I was grateful for the message Rais shared during the Q&A session: that when forgiveness isn’t possible, find peace and purpose from the pain inflicted by others to move forward with life.
- He was a great example of dedication, faith, and a growth mindset all in one.
- Thank you Rais, you have reminded us to choose the better path no matter what comes our way. The world is changed one interaction at a time.
- Rais, I feel honored to have been in attendance of this seminar today and to hear your story. Extremely inspiring and eye opening. Absolutely love the work you are doing and thank you for sharing your story in this space with us.
~ Western Governors University, UT
“The event with Rais was wonderful! We had a great turnout and I really felt like he made a big impact on our audience everyone is telling me today how much they took away from the event. In this way, it’s a good feeling to know that our committee’s goals have been met. Rais himself is a great human being. It was a pleasure to get to know him, hear his story, and have him meet our students at Providence College. He was extremely kind and receptive to all our questions. We really appreciated how he took the time and effort to mold his speech to perfectly match the interests/needs of our organization.”
~ Providence College, RI
“What a gift it was to have Rais Bhuiyan on campus! His remarkable story both inspires and challenges us all to live more generously by extending friendship and forgiveness to others.”
~ University of Dubuque, IA
“Everything went great with Rais’ visit. Our venue was packed and the video stream was viewed in 41 rooms across campus! Additionally, our survey feedback was overwhelmingly positive and we felt the event was very successful. Students and faculty, especially those who were unable to attend live, really enjoyed the opportunity to talk with Rais after the speech. Some great comments we received include:
- Excellent! POWERFUL! Thank you! What an amazing chance to be inspired.
- Rais was very enlightening and gave a very groundbreaking speech! Thank you for inviting the American Red Cross to be a part of this event!
- Thank you for bringing this interesting and engaging speaker.
- It was a very meaningful event.”
~ Lansing Community College, MI
“This was an extremely powerful talk on a vital presentation by a riveting speaker. There are three things I will always remember from this presentation: (1) Rais’s description of what he felt and saw as he was being shot in the face; (2) forgiveness cannot be transactional; and (3) if a person says something hateful, look at the statement as coming from a human being who has an internal conflict going on in their heart.”
~ Asotin County Library, WA
- “Rais’s story was both heartbreaking and inspiring! I was very pleased to listen to someone whose solution is to work with and love one’s own “enemy.” I believe doing so is the hardest thing to achieve, but it really is the solution to get past the “us vs. them” mentality that we face today. Rais’s story gives me hope.”
- “Mr. Bhuiyan was very eloquent in sharing his story. It was truly enlightening to observe his experience from his and his attacker’s perspective. The grace, the resilience and the hope shared by observing from a different perspective.”
~ WA State Department of Enterprise Services
“The audience engaged in a very meaningful conversation after the presentation focusing on dealing with people who are violent and hateful, the power and need of restorative justice. One audience, who got a PhD in Restorative justice, said, ‘your powerful story of mercy and forgiveness proves that restorative justice works.’”
~ Walla Walla Community College Library, WA
“Simply…..life changing. I hope I can say that this day will be marked in my life as a pivot point; that from here forward I will see myself as how I looked at life before hearing Rais and after hearing him. I am excited to join his organization to stop hate in the world. Thank you for sponsoring this talk. Please have him return again.”
~ Spokane County Library, WA