Very thankful for the opportunity to speak to a few hundred 7th & 8th graders today at Vaughn Middle School here in Reno. Just about 90% of them were Hispanic & impoverished – just like me.
So I just talked to them about the amazing opportunities they have in front of them, the power of choice, and the results of hard work.
I told them that just because their mom or dad never went to college, or because their older siblings have not amounted to much, or because no one in their family has done something amazing with their lives, it doesn’t mean they can’t. They have the power to change their family for generations to come, simply by recognizing the opportunities they have in front of them and making a choice to make the most of them.
They seemed very receptive to the idea … @juan_calderon08 told me a little girl took a video of me speaking to show her mom, who gets insecure about college because she doesn’t know about it … so the girl said she’s going to show her mom the video to let her know that everything will be OK.
…
That comment seriously made my week.
I live for moments like these, & I love being able to connect with young people to show them the power they have to be great.
Thank you to Vaughn MS for having me, thank you to the staff for being receptive to me, thank you to my brother Juan for inviting me to speak (you’re doing amazing things with these children, bro), and thank you to the kids for sitting patiently for 15 minutes and listening to my message – the world is yours, kids..
