My talk at Manhattan Bridges High School

(via facebook)

I still have plenty to achieve in my life but SHPE(Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers) saw it fit to invite me to talk to students and parents about my experiences as a Latino Technologist.  The truth is, I still feel very much like I did when I was in high school.  In a way it fuels my inner drive.  I had a few moments to speak to the students and parents before my talk and *I* was blown away and inspired.

I shared a few personal stories that have influenced my choices. In a nutshell, I’ve been engineering/hacking everything from education and business to technology since the age of 6.  Here are a few thoughts I shared,

1. concentrate your energy on a few things - that’s how I learned english when I started school… at the expense of many other things, but it was worth it.

2. tinker and experiment a lot, and definitely *create* stuff - I broke a few TVs before I learned how to fix them:)  Most of my learning came by way of solving problems and creating solutions.

3. focus on what you’re good at, especially when you’re not sure what to do - this is how I chose a college and major.

4. it doesn’t take many resources, especially money to get some things done - I grew up very poor.  We had three books in my home which I read over and over again… and I figured out how to finance my education.

5. listen to your mom!

As I reflected on what I was going to say I began to realize I might have a book in me… maybe some day I’ll write one.

About Manhattan Bridges High School - Academy of Engineering
Manhattan Bridges High School opened its doors in 2003, catering to Spanish-speaking students who have been in the US for less than 4 years.  The school fosters a family atmosphere and has an engineering based curriculum.

About SHPE - Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (via shpe-nyc.org)
The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) was founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1974 by a group of engineers employed by the City of Los Angeles. Their objective was to form a national organization of professional engineers to serve as role models in the Hispanic community.