I was such a pleasure to speak to students at Lee College in Baytown. The HSI – STEM Department staff invited me to speak as a part of the programming and activities scheduled for their Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations. HSI, or Hispanic Serving Institutions – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, is U.S. Department of Education grant. The goals of this grant are to increase the number of Hispanic and other low income students attaining degrees in fields of science, technology, engineering or mathematics, through expanding and enhancing educational opportunities for Hispanic students. I was honored to be invited and involved.
I grew up in Baytown, and I was sure to share that with the students I spoke to. I wanted them to see that someone from a small town like ours could dream big, do big and have a big impact. Now, obviously there are still things I want to achieve for myself but I shared as much as I could about the experiences I have had, my determination to go after my dreams and lessons I’ve learned along the way. That included my 10 steps to going after your passion, a few funny stories from my time living in New York City, answering some questions from the audience and closing by singing my original song.
I love connecting with audiences, especially when I can speak some positivity into someone’s life. I like to think that if I can inspire at least one person, then it was well worth the effort. And guess what, my speaking engagement made The Baytown Sun newspaper. I know it’s rude to toot your own horn – but this is the newspaper in my hometown. My grandmother got this paper delivered to her door well after most people had switched to simply reading online. It’s a sentimental milestone for me. And the cherry on top of a great day.
