To Be The Best They Can Be......Inspiration for the New Year.

In my business, because of the kinds of programs we work on,

the greatest value I get is the total immersion into people’s lives where I can be inspired, and learn about the diversity of human experience.  Yesterday’s ‘shoot’ was a perfect example. 

We spent the day creating a video for the Founder’s Fund of SW Florida.  The Founder’s Fund awards 4 year scholarships to deserving local high school seniors who have a passion for learning and the drive to overcome what seem like impossible obstacles to go to college.  We interviewed 7 of the students who have received grants and got a glimpse of their life stories and what they have accomplished because of the scholarships they received.  We also interviewed 2 of the board members who interview these kids when they apply.

The recipients we talked to come from a variety of backgrounds, but all come from situations where parents are unable to financially support their efforts.  Some families were refugees from Cuba, Mexico or Haiti.  These kid’s parents came to seek political asylum, or were so poor in their native countries that they came to the US looking for a better life, or came from families already here with virtually nothing except their parent's desire to see their children succeed.  Their stories are truly remarkable and inspiring, and as I sat there listening to them recount their experiences for our cameras, I couldn’t help but think of how fortunate all of us are to live in this place called the USA.  Our primary education is free-what a blessing!  True, college is terribly expensive and all of these kids are dealing with the monstrous problem of student loan debt that will cripple their earning power over the forseeable future. No matter!  It is just one more obstacle they must tackle, but to see the zeal with which they pursue their dreams; to see the raw emotion that sweeps over them as they describe the sacrifices their parents have made for them is truly humbling and inspiring. 

All of them are smart.  All of them are not afraid of hard work in pursuit of success.  All of them wouldn’t be able to have any higher education without outside financing.  Think about it…..how many of you had to totally finance your own education?

They are going to be engineers, doctors, teachers, physician’s assistants, food service professionals, musicians, accountants, lawyers, social workers, politicians, health care professionals, and on and on.  Their families were migrant farmers in Immokalee, picking crops, or refugees from Castro’s Cuba where one girl’s father was a physician, but when he arrived here in the US he was forced to abandon his medical practice to be a lawn gardening contractor; or a single mother with three other kids holding down 3 jobs to put food on the table and provide just the necessities of life.  And yet all these remarkable kids have risen to be the best they can be in our nurturing free society.  How blessed we are and how important it is for all of us to remember that this is the country we must preserve above all else, where your background is not a barrier to following your dreams.  It must remain a place that is rich in it’s diversity and preserves equal opportunity for all.  For ALL!