Multicultural programs offer support to minority students

Below is an article I recently wrote for Fox News Latino featuring an amazing higher ed professional who has helped countless students break barriers to achieve their dreams. Her story is below. And if you have ever been a part of any multicultural programs at your college I would love to know more about your experience in the comments section!

"When Natalia Leal – currently the Assistant Director of Multicultural Academic & Support Services for the University of Central Florida – applied for college, she felt completely lost.


Born in the U.S. but raised in Colombia until she was 12, Leal struggled with the language and the college process: 'I didn’t understand how it all worked'"....Read More on Fox News Latino.

Top 5 reasons why writing "dear diary" can change your life

I've kept a journal since I was in middle school. Thankfully I don't have the ones I wrote then (I fear to know where my mind was then) but I do love reading the journals I've written in college and beyond, reading reflections from my past. 


We live in a fast paced culture that leaves almost no time for reflection. We rarely pause (unless we're talking a DVR snack break). 


So much happens in the world, in our communities, and in our daily lives, and yet before we know it there is a new day and we've barely been able to process the one before. 


Reflection, however, is vital for growth. Learning comes from reflection. 


And that includes learning about yourself and what you want to do with your life during and after college. So below are the top 5 reasons why starting a journal and committing to writing in it at least once per week can improve your life. 

1. It's easy to stereotype journaling as "dear diary, the cute boy looked at me today..." but it can be so much more. Journaling helps you reflect on the current situations in your life and see them more clearly. It gives you a chance to think and, often, come up with solutions to your own problems. 


2. While journals can be great for venting, I've actually found it's best to keep them as positive as possible. Who wants to remember or dwell on the bad things? Writing down what was great about your day or what you are hopeful about for the future will improve your mood. 


3. A journal is a great place to start mulling over your goals and what you want out of life. Sometimes you may talk about your day, but if you're anything like me, you'll want to fill your journal with rambling thoughts, hopes, and questions about the future. A journal is a great place to get to know yourself. And knowing yourself is key to succeeding in college and in your career. 


One of my rambling journal entries from 8/12/07: I don't know what I want to do with my life. I feel so lost. Growing up is happening so fast - I can't believe I start my junior year at Stetson in a few weeks. I'm excited for my major but I still don't know what I want to do. All I know is I want a job that is fun and flexible and that inspires and encourages people. Real specific, right? Ah! I would love to write a book. How wonderful that would be!? I've always wanted to write a non-fiction book. But what am I good at? What should my career actually be? I still don't know exactly and I feel like I'm running out of time. [isn't it funny that 'author' as a career popped up...my journal was vital in my journey to figure out my career].


12/18/08: What will my job be in only...5 MONTHS?!?! Ahhh go away real world!!!! [lol]


4. A picture's worth a thousand words, but sometimes a few words paint a great picture. Sometimes if I don't have a lot of time I'll just jot down a few random things about the day that I know I'll love to look back on. Journals are a fun and insightful read once a year - as good, if not better, than a photo album (or a Facebook timeline). 


Bullets from a journal entry of random thoughts on 11/2/07: *Poetry is so incredible when read by its writer.*Revelation: I'm always more tired the 2nd morning after I've had little sleep. *I miss 7th grade sleepovers.*Starbucks isn't that exciting to me anymore. *I love my comparative politics class. *Eating 2 nutrition bars and a frosty is not a proper dinner. *I like fake flowers.


5. Buying a journal you love is really fun. From splurging on a super-flowery blue Vera Bradlely notebook to buying a small turquoise one for $2.97 that says in silver "She's a dreamer, a doer, a thinker. She sees possibility everywhere" - I've always been drawn to journals that make me feel something, that shine like a precious treasure waiting to hold my life. Find something that inspires you when you open it each day or week. I was drawn to the first significant college journal I ever bought because of what was written in white cursive on the dark navy cover: 


just when the
caterpillar
thought the 
world was over,
it became
a butterfly.

How an unlikely mentorship encouraged one student to pay it forward

I recently interviewed Stephanie Bravo, co-founder of the free national online mentoring service, StudentMentor.org for a Fox News Latino article.

While I've interviewed her for the blog before, this story was about her experience having a mentor who was very different from her, and how the relationship not only helped her get into medical school (which from what I learned is an incredibly daunting year-long application process), but also ignited within her a passion for paying it forward and developing mentorship programs that can break barriers in students' lives, just as the mentoring program at Stanford did for her. 


Check out her story below, and see if your college community (or a professional association in your desired industry) has a mentorship program you can get involved in. If not, perhaps Stephanie will inspire you to start one :)

Latina Stanford Student Creates National Mentoring Program
"Four out of five low-income students fail to attain a bachelor's degree by their mid-20s. As astounding and scary as the numbers are, they motivated one woman to take action. Stephanie Bravo, a Mexican American from San Jose,California....Read more at Fox News Latino

Something to consider before you choose your next book

If you've read this blog, well, once, you probably know I'm in love with reading. 

I'm always looking for new books, and there is one highly acclaimed book that I've seen on the shelves over and over again for the past two years - The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot - and I've always passed it by. Why? Because I thought it was mostly about science.

I was wrong. 

I'm a huge fan of science of course, but it isn't on my top 100 list of what I love to read about in my free time. However, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is no ordinary book about science - it reads as exciting as a fiction book, with drama, depth, and grit, and by page 60 I knew it was going to be one of my favorite books of all time. And I just had to tell you about it.   

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks features the story Skloot uncovered after ten years of research into the life of the woman who died in 1951, whose cancer cells are still alive and used in research today - something Henrietta never knew. Skloot's depiction of Henrietta and her family illuminates issues of ethics, race relations, and the pain and long-term effects endured by those who live in poverty.

If, like me, the thought of reading a book with a plot that revolves around a scientific discovery terrifies you, don't worry. The plot is really anchored on the woman herself, Henrietta, and her family's crises to make sense of it all. The scientific information that is weaved in the story is related to cancer research and other medical break through's you will recognize - the behind-the-scenes knowledge will grip you. Skloot brings science to life. 

(And if you do love science that is just icing on the cake.)

Skloot's quiet dedication to unearth the story behind the famous HeLa cells featured in almost every biology textbook is moving, as is the charming chaos and insight gleamed from the Lacks family's plight. I left some crinkled teardrop stains on the pages for sure (sorry Seminole County Library). 

Some of the underlying themes that shone throughout the book were the privilege of knowledge, the power of learning, and the necessity to help others understand. 

I cannot fully do this book justice. All I can say is: don't pass it by like I did. It's one of those books that makes you feel like the world is bigger, smaller, darker, and more precious. It's one of those books that you close and wish you could open again for the first time. It's one of those books that add a forever color to your lens.

And remember me and my love for this book next time you're browsing the shelves of your favorite library or bookstore. Choose a book you may not normally choose. It will expand you into new shapes, and make you better. 

How exercise can improve your grades

In the past year I have read three books that have explained how exercise improves brain function (i.e. Brain Rules, Stop Saying You're Fine, and The Compound Effect). Stop Saying You're Fine by Mel Robbins cites how Naperville Central High School had its students begin the day with exercise, leading to astounding grade improvements. 

Most of us understand all the benefits of exercise. And yet for me, the one that always appealed the most was that it could actually improve my energy and brain function and thus help me be more effective each day - a type-A personality's dream. Hooray!

The only problem is, that enthusiasm doesn't always hit when your alarm shrieks that it's time to wake up and exercise. 

But since exercise can improve your focus, energy, and brain power (3 things desperately needed to succeed in college), below are the tips that helped me make exercise a fun part of my life, and not the chore it always used to feel like (or, let's be honest, the chore I always used to ignore). 

1. Read about the part of exercise that inspires you most (yes, I've even worked reading into a list about exercise, please don't hate me). Whether it's a book or researching articles online, learn as much as you can about the benefits of exercise that most excite you.

Whether it's losing weight, improving a health problem, getting buff, toning up, or, like me, improving brain function and energy, search for information linking exercise to the benefits you want. The knowledge alone will motivate you more than you know. 

2. Try a lot of different types of exercising to figure out what works best for you. There are so many ways to be active, too many to list here, but in general there are: fitness classes, gym memberships, DVD's, fitness TV channels, running clubs, biking, self-defense classes, iPad apps, and more. 

In addition to enjoying the benefits, you'll want to enjoy the activity itself. Figure out if you prefer working out alone or with others. Do you need a gym atmosphere or prefer your home? Do you enjoy cardio or weights? Do you like machines or doing movements on a mat (e.g. Yoga)? Explore and narrow. 

3. Discover your college facilities. Many community colleges have fitness equipment or even a gym that can be used by its students. Find out if your college has a place to exercise and take full advantage of it. (One community college gym helped a student lose over 210 lbs). To get some of the most immediate brain/energy benefits, try doing a light work out before class or before going into the library to do homework.

4. Start with an 'easy' commitment. The benefits of exercise happen when it becomes a habit, a routine. So to avoid the danger of giving up when something is too big, choose an easy starting point you know you can accomplish without fail for a month or two, something like 50 sit-ups every other day or 20 jumping jacks every morning -  start small. Write it down, post it up, and do at least the minimum, which will usually inspire you to do more. 

Your brain will thank you :)