An immigrant's journey to becoming a White House Executive: my interview with José Rico

If you watched my recent blog on the value of international students, you know I'm a huge admirer of students who come to the U.S. without knowing any English. I am astounded by them.

I recently interviewed one such individual who shared with me his hardships in coming to America, and how the mentors in his life and his passion for education helped him go from being placed in special education classes because he spoke Spanish to his appointment to the position of executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.

José Rico moved from Mexico to Chicago with his family when he was seven years old. His elementary school did not have a bilingual education program; thus, he was put in special education classes because no one knew how to communicate with him. 

It's easy to understand why, as a child, José "hated school." 

He shuffled along in classes without learning much. "There weren't a lot of teachers who looked like me that I, or many of my classmates, could relate to."

"Like most immigrant parents, my parents got me ready for school everyday  and hoped for the best." Unfortunately,  it wasn’t just the communication barriers made it very difficult to bridge the gaps.  There were low expectations and a misunderstanding of Latino families.

"The school would send letters home in English, but my parents couldn't read them.  My parents’ worked long hours and very little was done to include them in their children’s education.  The biggest parent turnout was during class picture day. It usually happened towards the end of the school year and signaled a transition to the next grade.  Since we didn't have money to buy class pictures either, so all of the pictures from my childhood have the word 'proof' written across my face."

José laughed when he said this, and so did I.

But he didn't laugh much in his younger years. School continued to be a struggle as he got older and went to middle school. 

Then, one teacher made a difference in eighth grade, Mr. Tibitt.   José confirms: "If it hadn’t been for him, I think eighth grade would have been my last year in school."

When José was in 9th grade, tragedy struck.

José often walked to school with Ramon, his best friend in South Side of Chicago; one day, as they made their daily trek, his best friend was suddenly shot and killed by someone who had wrongly believed José's best friend was a gang member.  

"Unfortunately that happens too often," José said.  

Seeing his best friend killed before his eyes made school even harder. José was devastated. However, the tragedy led to the biggest turning point in his life: His eighth-grade teacher reached out to him again. Seeing José's struggle, this teacher arranged for José to get transferred to a magnet school—the kind of school his parents would never have known about.

José excelled in a school that really supported and guided its students in preparing for college; this is something José believes was essential in making him the first in his family to go to college.

Due to this supportive environment, José did very well in math and science, and scored well on the college entrance exams. This led to his acceptance at every college his counselor asked him to apply to, such as Harvard. 

However, choosing which college to attend was "easy" for José. He chose the University of Illinois because they gave him a guaranteed full ride scholarship. He would have had to pay $3,000 a year to attend Harvard. At the time, when his family was paying around $1,000 a year in rent, asking them to spend three-year’s rent in one year for his education was unimaginable.

José fell in love with University of Illinois. "The campus is huge and, growing up in the barrio, it was the nicest thing I'd ever seen in my life. You only had to share a room with one person; you could eat whenever you wanted, as much as you wanted; and you had free time after going to class just three hours a day! I had access to the latest technology, became friends with people from all over the world and had a world of possibilities open. I thought I had made it."

But once again, José found there weren't a lot of professors or students who looked like him. 

"I started to think: Wow, why don't more Latinos get to experience this privileged existence? So many of my friends who were smarter and more talented than me and who were really good people didn’t have the chance to go to college. I wondered: Why aren't they here too? It became an issue of equity for me."

Indeed, today, of all Hispanic adults in the U.S. over 25, only 14 percent have a bachelor’s degree.

One of the best parts about college is that it can be a place where your thinking expands and you can discover innovative solutions to the world’s problems. The best students often take action; that's what José did. He organized students to fight for a Latino studies program at the University of Illinois. Today it is one of their hallmark programs. 

José graduated from college with a degree in engineering. He had chosen the field because, "Back then, engineering was the way to get to the middle class and help your family; you could make $50,000 a year, which today would be close to $100,000."

So he got an engineering job after college. As José put it: "I was bored."

That summer, he volunteered to become a math and science tutor for high school students. "I fell in love with the idea of teaching; I wanted to contribute to the world by helping kids just like me go to college and have possibilities."

Much to the chagrin of his friends and family, José left engineering to become a high school science teacher in his old Chicago neighborhood.

"I went back to my old neighborhood because I knew that so many people in my community come from a world without possibilities; they can't see possibilities in front of them."

Many people thought José was crazy for leaving engineering for teaching. "At the highest point in my career I made $19,000 a year."

However, José had found a passion that was impossible to ignore; because of that, he brought possibility to this community.

In addition to being a high school teacher, José started a youth leadership program that trained students to find the other services they needed to make it through school (e.g., childcare, summer jobs, legal services, free clinics). His program caught the attention of Public Allies, where he trained young people to work in public service. 

After getting two master's degrees and becoming more involved in education training and access, José participated in a hunger strike to start a new high school: Chicago's Multicultural Arts High School. He was named the principal. 

In 2009, "My boss Michelle, from Public Allies, called me and said 'Hey do you want to come to D.C. and do some work with us?’ I said yes."

At this point I was so rapt with José's story that it wasn't until he talked for another 60 seconds that I had to interrupted him to ask: "wait, hold on a second, do you mean the Michelle? Michelle Obama was your boss at Public Allies?"

He said yes.

Today José works for the White House to "ensure that there are more Latinos who go through the education pipeline successfully so they can receive a quality preschool education all the way to college." As executive director, he advises President Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on education policies and programs on how to best introduce and incorporate them into the Hispanic community.

"The Latino community places a high value on education, but the challenge is the lack of information, the coordination of resources to support things that work, and the leadership to make things happen a day-in and day-out ."

José has seen and heard many success stories, having visited more than 120 cities across the country to consult with leaders and gather feedback on what these communities need. 

One such success story involves Mayor Julian Castro, San Antonio, Texas, who made it a priority to raise the numbers of college graduates from 100,000 a year to 200,000. With a counselor ratio of 420-1, San Antonio has developed an innovative idea—a place called Café College located in the heart of downtown that provides free resources to help people get to college.

José believes many colleges are not equipped to give the support first-generation students desperately need. He said that both he and I "were lucky, because we had someone reach out to help us...but we shouldn't have to rely on that." 

This is so key. The primary reason I wrote my book was to give students the tools they need to find those people for themselves. We are so thankful for the teachers who reach out, and we should all be reaching out. However, we must also teach students to reach out for themselves, and understand the importance of having a strong community to help them thrive in college.

I can honestly say I've never been more personally inspired than when I talked to José on the phone. There aren't many principles I need to draw out for you because they are all so poignantly weaved throughout his story—his life. 

Notice the issues in the world around you while you're in college. Latch on to those that move you. Move forward no matter what people think. Take action. Do what you do best, and serve.

Learn more about how you can be a full-time paid apprentice with Public Allies.

Follow the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics on Facebook.

From the Warehouse to the White House: NBA Executive Lucas Boyce

While most movies portray college as an endless array of friends and parties, the truth is most students have to work – a lot – throughout college.

And for some students, that work gets in the way of college success. It is really hard to balance working 30+ hours per week and managing a full course load. Many drop out.

But some are able to manage both. How? What is the difference?

My most recent interview with NBA Executive for the Orlando Magic, Lucas Boyce reveals some of those answers.

Lucas Boyce is the Director of Multicultural Insights and Cause Marketing at the Orlando Magic - where he acts out his philosophy that basketball should uplift and inspire people; in his job he oversees departments such as community and government relations, leading the organization’s initiatives such as donating 6,500 volunteer hours and building playgrounds and learning centers in underserved neighborhoods. Lucas became an executive for the Orlando Magic shortly after he finished his tenure as a White House executive.

Oh, and did I mention Lucas is only 32 years old?

Lucas was born premature to an alcohol-and-drug-addicted teen who traded sex for drugs; he ended up in the foster care system.

He was soon adopted by a woman whom he owes much of his success to, and he began his life. He struggled in school a bit growing up – but never let that stop him.

When it came time for college, Lucas attended the University of Central Missouri and worked 25-30 hours per week, working at a warehouse during the week and refereeing basketball games on the weekends.

He began college as a music major. He soon switched to psychology (a subject he still loves), but then took an international relations class where they role-played governments and engaged in debate; he fell in love with it and switched his major to political science and speech communication.

And then Lucas worked. He took all his classes two days per week and worked the other three days. Tuesdays and Thursdays, however, were 100% dedicated to school. He and his friends would often carpool together and stay at school all day to focus.

As part of his political science major, Lucas had to get an internship. Most students would apply at the state capitol. However, Lucas had a mentor who encouraged him to go bigger.

And Lucas listened. And acted.

He applied for a White House internship.

And out of 2,000 applications, the January after 9/11, he was chosen.

During his internship, he was asked to be a part of a photo op for a magazine with the President, with about a dozen other people.

And as Lucas puts it in his book Living Proof – “A handshake changes a life.”

And yet more than that, it was what Lucas had the courage do after shaking the hand of the President. He talked with him. The President asked Lucas about himself, and Lucas answered. They had a conversation.

And conversations change lives.

Lucas made an impression on the President, and soon after the President asked Lucas to be a campaign staff assistant on his re-election campaign. And not before long, Lucas was a White House executive, riding along on Air Force One.

Lucas is an incredibly humble guy whose life is almost so inspiring you take for granted how many odds truly were against him. There is so much more to his story and I highly encourage you to grab a copy of his book Living Proof. In short, it will ignite your sense of hope.

Lucas attributes his success in college and beyond to being flexible and willing to work hard. What surprised me the most was his admission that he didn’t do college perfectly. He had to take a class over and he wished he had gotten more involved on campus. However, he was always willing to broaden his horizons, be fully engaged in class, and was willing to work hard and take advantage of opportunities.

When I asked Lucas what advice he had for you to succeed in college, he said: “Be okay with taking knocks and falling down – be willing to recalibrate.”

He also advised that you have a gameplan and just know things are going to be tough and you’re going to have to work really hard. He’s going through that now as he balances working a full time, speaking with his book, and getting an MBA.

College and professional success can never be perfectly planned out. Lucas could never have predicted his life would take this direction. But he was ready. And despite the odds against him, along with having to work so much in college, he was always willing to act on opportunities and build relationships with the people around him.

That is the answer for you. Realize that college requires a lot of hustle. Dedicate yourself to it, find positive mentors, and reach for the hard-to-reach opportunities.

To learn more about the Washington Center internships (like the opportunity Lucas pursued) go to http://www.twc.edu/

And to continue this story and learn more about the secrets to Lucas’ incredible  and inspiring success, you can buy a copy of his book Living Proof or look into booking him as a speaker (I’ve seen him speak – it’s awesome!).

How two recent post-grads developed something that got the attention of the White House

Recently Ashkon Jafari and Stephanie Bravo were invited to the White House. They sat down with the White House staff to talk about developing a partnership. Soon after, they shook hands with President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, and thanked them for the work they are doing in education. A few weeks later, the website they founded – StudentMentor.org – was featured on the White House website.

Did I mention Ashkon and Stephanie just graduated college in 2008 and 2009?

Overnight success is a myth, and Ashkon and Stephanie have been working for years to get StudentMentor.org where it is today. And they aren’t stopping their hard work anytime soon.

As part of the my book launch, I am going to be writing blog posts inspired by exclusive interviews I have had recently with professionals I admire – and whom I think you will admire and learn from too.

Community College Success: How to Finish with Friends, Scholarships, Internships, and the Career of Your Dreams is all about people – connecting with your peers, professors, and professionals. In my interviews so far, every single person (I swear I’m not planning this or telling them what to say) has emphasized the importance of relationships and mentors in their lives.

In the Professionals section of Community College Success, I share with readers exactly how to develop these life changing mentorship relationships with professionals. And in celebration of the book coming out, I have done some informational interviews for you, so that you can learn from and look up to some people who I think are pretty amazing. So here goes! :)

Q: How did you figure out what you wanted to do when you were in college?

Stephanie: Stephanie was always interested in Psychology, but had no idea how to translate that into a profitable career. So what did she do? Joined a lot of activities and did a lot of soul searching to figure it out. She took action. And you will find these two are people of action. 

Through all her volunteering and exploration, Stephanie found out about a mentorship program run by Stanford University that paired up pre-med students with mentors at other schools in the area. The mentorship program changed her life, and while she eventually moved from mentee to mentor in the pre-med program, she realized she wanted to widen the scope. She envisioned a way for all students to get mentors – across disciplines, and across cyberspace.

Ashkon: Ashkon graduated high school early by taking a test to forego the final two years. He is very intelligent. However, when he got to college, he felt completely lost. As he explains it, “In high school you have all these people looking over your shoulder, and then at college you’re all on your own.” It was hard for him to get acclimated, and he actually didn’t perform well in his first year. He realized this, and took action. He went to the tutoring center and met a mentor there who changed his life. His grades started improving, and he started to realize how powerful mentorship could be in changing someone’s life.

Q: Sometimes when we see young people find success, we tend to think success happens fast. As I’m sure you know, a lot goes on behind the scenes. What helped you find success at such a young age?

Stephanie: Stephanie has known the power of hard work her entire life, and she has been acting on it for many years. She grew up in a 1600 ft. sq apartment, raised by hardworking parents, and looked up to a grandfather who immigrated from Mexico. Her grandfather started his own business and, as she puts it, “started a new life.” Stephanie grew up hearing stories that made her believe you can come to America and make something of yourself. She knew this wouldn't happen magically, however; her family taught her it takes hard work and intense perseverance. In short, Stephanie still believed in the American Dream. She believed in it, and lived every day like it was possible.

Stephanie was also highly aware of the barriers and boundaries in her life. She recognized early on how powerfully the environment we are born into shapes us; she decided to surround herself with positive peer groups from the very beginning. She saw people around her crumble due to negative friends in their lives. By recognizing the barriers in her life Stephanie was able to overcome them, and those barriers motivated her to figure out how she could make a difference in her community and find positive mentors for those overwhelmed in a negative environment.

Ashkon: Ashkon says knowing his long-term goals were vital. He knew he wanted to live a better life and live up to his potential. He also realized early on that he wanted to find something he liked doing. For his personality, doing work he didn’t like just didn’t work. When he first got out of college, he was initially interested in finding a job that paid well. He says he figured out pretty soon that he had the wrong perspective, and as he reflects back he realizes it is more important to find out what you are interested in.  Because interest will help you take your work to the next level. Interest will help you be far more successful than working for a paycheck.

Ashkon has also known from an early age the power of connecting with others. He has been talking to professionals for years, and was constantly researching careers to figure out what he wanted to do with his life. He frequented the career center very often, including spending an entire summer there reading career books, searching industries, and doing informational interviews with alumni from the college. (This is the kind of behind-the-scenes hustle that can get you a handshake with the president two years after you graduate college.)

Q: Based on your experience, what advice do you have for my readers to help them move towards success and realize their dreams?

Stephanie: “Shoot for the moon without losing your foot on the ground” (Stephanie made this quote up on the spot). She explains that you must know your limits, your skills, and your interests. You must know yourself first. Then, you must focus what you want to do, so that when you start meeting with professionals you have a clear goal. It’s okay if you don’t have it all figured out, but you must start exploring based on who you are and what you are interested in. Then, once that foot is planted firmly on the ground and you know who you are, it’s time to shoot for the moon.

Stephanie says you should take your dreams as high as they possibly can go, and always be looking to take your potential to the next level. And the best way to do that? A mentor.

(Think about it, athletes are already talented, but coaches take them to the next level. We need other people in our lives to help us realize our greatest potential and our greatest dreams.)

Ashkon: “Put as much emphasis in finding out WHAT you want to do as you do in your school work.” In short, make figuring out your major and career goal an invisible part of your transcript. Act as if your diploma and GPA depended on it. Because it actually does. A study Ashkon recently read said that knowing what you want to do makes your college completion six times as likely than students who do not declare a major.

As Ashkon says, “There are so many options and it can be overwhelming to choose, or sometimes you think anything is possible. And then you really go through a hard reality check when you graduate and find yourself working in food or as a receptionist. It's hard.” It isn’t about stressing yourself out or making college all about a career. It’s about exploration, adventure, and discovering who you are and how you can make your greatest contribution to the world.

Q: What is one thing my readers should do right now in order to be more successful in their lives?

Request a mentor at StudentMentor.org! Ashkon and Stephanie are the least self-promotional people I know, so I answered this question for them before I asked it, and they agreed. They have built something so special and transformative that the White House has taken notice. I recommend being a part of it.

I am a mentor on StudentMentor.org and have had an incredible experience (you will be able to see a video of my testimonial on the White House website this Thursday 3/15). If you have some college experience or professional experience, I highly recommend joining as a mentor as well.

The key to StudentMentor.org is follow up. Do not wait for someone to find you, and do not wait for them to contact you. Be persistent and ask for advice. The best place to start? Find someone who is doing a job that interests you and ask the five key questions I mention in my book. They will uncover a bounty of information that will set your path on fire!

And as you enjoy this free mentorship service, remember that it was created by two people, just out of college. Remember that anything is possible for you too.

You can follow Ashkon and Stephanie on Twitter. And you can watch them on KRON 4 news at the video below. 

More interviews to come in the next few weeks. Some spoiler alerts? We’re talking sports journalists, a NY Times writer, and editor from The Chronicle of Higher Education, a young guy with a hilarious televised Basketball show, and a woman who has given a TED talk. If you know someone incredible who’d make a great story for the blog, e-mail their contact info to me at isa@isaadney.com. Or if there is someone you don’t know but would like for me to reach out to, you can send me their info too and I’ll do my best! You’d be surprised at who will say yes.

If you're interested you can get Community College Success on Amazon.com, or get the first chapter for free here!