2020 GlobalMindED
The Future of Work is Diverse, Inclusive, Just and Equitable
GlobalMindED closes the equity gap by creating a capable, diverse talent pipeline through connections to role models, mentors, internships for low-income students, returning adults, First Gen to college and inclusive leaders who teach them, work with them and hire them.
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Sylvia T. Gonzales is a trail-blazing first in her family to achieve on multiple levels. She now helps other students at Texas State University survive and thrive during COVID and beyond at Texas State University. |
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What is your personal story, and how did you end up in your field?
I grew up in a small rural town in southeastern New Mexico, where there were more oil pumpjacks than buildings, but the support and spirit, are vast. My parents were migrant farmworkers who had traveled the country looking for their next job and decided Lovington would be their home. I grew up going to school with the same friends from kindergarten to high school, and I was always an overachiever. As a self-proclaimed nerd, I loved school and knew I wanted to go to college even though no one in my family had gone. I graduated in the top ten of my class and received a full-ride scholarship to New Mexico State University (NMSU) and Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU). I decided to attend ENMU in Portales, NM, which was only 90 miles west of Lovington to stay close to home.
My parents could not financially support me, so I had to work throughout my time in college. I initially worked as a front desk worker in a women’s residence hall, where I met a girl who was applying for a job with the TRIO programs as a College Success Mentor. We both applied to the job, and both received the position as sophomores in college. There I began helping first-generation and financially vulnerable students acclimate to the college environment and apply for the FAFSA. I was then bit by the “TRIO bug” and knew that I wanted to do this kind of work; however, I was already pursuing a BBA in Marketing and did not want to change my major. I continued to serve as a College Success Mentor and later became the Student Advisor to the Office of Hispanic Student Affairs, where my love affair with serving first-gen, Latinx, and financially vulnerable students began. I wanted students like me not to have to experience the same challenges I did and made it my goal to help them in any way possible.
Over the next 20 years, I gradually worked up the ladder in student support services jobs as I initially served as an Academic Advisor, then an Admissions Representative, Program Coordinator, Associate Director, and now Director. I primarily worked within the TRIO programs for 16 years and recently transitioned to working with Title III and V grants.
As a Latina, how have you handled balancing being a Mother, Director at Texas State University, and pursuing your Doctorate all at the same time? What are some words of advice that you would give to other working mothers looking to pursue higher education even though they may think it is not possible?
Balancing a full-time job as a mother and a doctoral student is a challenge. As a Latina, my family has always been a priority for me. While pursuing my master’s degree in 2009, I became pregnant with my first son, so I had to finish my degree quickly. I completed the program within 18 months while breastfeeding and getting little sleep. Mijo was six months old when I graduated with my master’s degree.
Once I became a mother, I knew I wanted to focus my attention on my kids. Pursuing a doctoral education became a second priority for me for the next nine years. During that time, I moved to Lubbock and had my second son in 2012. For seven years, I focused on them, ensuring they had my attention and knew that they were taken care of and had their needs met.
In 2017, we moved to San Marcos and started working at Texas State University. Late last year, I began to work closely with a colleague of mine, Victoria Black, who was pregnant and working on her doctoral program. She also already had two kids under the age of 10 and was working full-time. She inspired me and encouraged me to pursue my doctoral program because “we need more Latinas in leadership roles.” I knew it was something I always wanted to do, but I refused to take time away from my kids to do it. It was at that time I knew it was time to start my journey. I talked to my sons and husband, and received their blessing to go back to school, understanding the sacrifices we would make for me to do this. They were very supportive of my plan and encouraged me to do it. Now we talk about our homework and how we are all using Canvas as our learning management system. We can troubleshoot together and talk about our online learning experience.
To other working mothers wanting to pursue post-secondary education, please make sure you reach out to your community and get support from your peers, family, coworkers, friends, anyone who can help you. Since both of my sons are learning from home, I hired a college student to help me two days a week to help them with their work and studies. Many of my coworkers are also in doctoral programs, so sometimes we talk about grad school and how we can do things better. For example, I struggled with my writing and my coworker suggested a dictation app to help me capture my thoughts without feeling like I had to edit my thoughts as I was writing. It was a lifesaver for me!
Also, know that you will get mommy guilt because you want to spend more time with your children as they do things. They have also had to sacrifice doing sports because I do not have the time to take them to practice or other events. However, they know that it is only short-term, and this will be over one day. We keep a constant communication line and talk about other things we can do with them on special occasions without feeling like they are missing out on an activity. Lastly, I must give God thanks for blessing me with a husband who not only supports my efforts but does things to make sure I feel loved. He has taken up much of the housework like cleaning, washing clothes, yard maintenance, and not complaining about it. He brings me flowers, my favorite candy, and does little things like rub my back when I have been sitting at the computer too long. I also make sure to do many self-care things like journaling, meditating, reading affirmations, and spending time with family. My cup must be full for me to give.
What does Hispanic Heritage Month Mean to you?
Hispanic Heritage Month is a time for me to reflect and remember how vital it is to celebrate my culture and roots. This time reminds me to intentionally seek out new information about my ancestors and heritage that make us proud and seek knowledge about our historical experiences. Growing up in the traditional American school system, we did not learn about the contributions made by Hispanic leaders or Native American tribes and the sacrifices made to keep our lineage strong. Therefore, I want to intentionally be more mindful and knowledgeable about our contributions to this nation. Celebrating this month also gives me time to share my knowledge with my sons and how important it is for them to be proud of their cultural background.
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month also allows me to openly share my culture and heritage with those who want to learn more about it. We celebrate traditional Hispanic holidays such as Dia de Los Muertos on campus. We encourage authentic engagement with Hispanic students, faculty, and staff by honoring their relatives or heroes that have passed by creating altars across campus. We invite the community to go around campus and visit these altars to help commemorate the lives lost. I enjoy seeing how our Hispanic/Latin students connect through shared experience as it fosters greater visibility and pride in our culture.
Bio:
Sylvia T. Gonzales is the HSI STEM Impact & MAESTROS Director, member of the Hispanic Policy Network, and US1100 faculty. Sylvia is the first in her family to go to college and is working on her Ed.D. in Positive Organizational Leadership from Abilene Christian University. Sylvia continues to ensure the undergraduate student experience is authentic as she has served as an advocate, mentor, and leader to underrepresented college students for 21 years. She has helped with the grassroots development of 6 federal grant programs in TX/NM, including Title III, V, and TRIO grants. She is also an active member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and Alliance for Hispanic Serving Institutional Educators and helped establish the Bobcat Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) certificate program and serves as co-chair on the First Gen Proud Working Group at Texas State University. Sylvia has received numerous awards and recognition for her contributions, including Angelika Lester Wahl Diversity Award, HPN’s Latinx Star Award, a “Program to Watch” designation by Excelencia in Education, Bright Spots in Hispanic Education, and NASPA’s & Student Foundation First-Gen Forward designation.
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Wednesday, October 2:00 MT/4:00 ET |
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Click to view the most recent webinars: |
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Courageous Conversations: Catalyzing Change in Health: Dr. Monique Butler; Chief Medical Officer, Swedish Medical Center, Samuel Yamoah, Jr.; Associate Partner, McKinsey & Company, Dr. Georges Benjamin; Executive Director, American Public Health Association, Dr. J. Nadine Gracia; Exec. Vice President & COO, Trust for America’s Health, Dr. Karen McNeil-Miller; CEO, Colorado Health Foundation, Dr. Pierre Theodore; VP Global External Innovation, Johnson & Johnson, and Dr. Elena Rios; President & CEO, National Hispanic Medical Association.
Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable: Diverse College Presidents Talk About First 6 Weeks of School: Dr. Ryan Ross; Assoc. V. Chancellor Student Affairs, Equity, & Inclusion, Colorado Community College System moderates. Panelists include Dr. Javaune Adams-Gaston President, Norfolk State University, Dr. E. LaBrent Chrite President, Bethune-Cookman University, Dr. Annette Parker President, South Central College, Minnesota State, Dr. Miles Davis President, Linfield University, and Dr. Michael Torrence President, Motlow State College
Hispanic Language Heritage Language Assets for Career Preparedness: Department of Education, Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) and GlobalMindED, moderated by Lorena Orozco McElwain; OELA, Panelists include: Carol Carter; GlobalMindED, Felícita Solá-Carter; Excellence in Government Program, Oscar Fraire; University of Colorado Denver student, Patty Lopez; Intel Corporation, and Adrian Rosado; Cultural Clarity Experience.
Hispanic Language Heritage: Retention of Heritage Culture and Language(s) US Department of Education, Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) and GlobalMindED, and panelists celegrate National Hispanic Heritage Month. Lorena Orozco and Supreet Anand of OELA, Cristina Alfaro; San Diego State University, Luis Benitez; VF Corporation, Clotilde Dedecker; Circle of Women, Joe Garcia; Ohkay OwinghTribe, and Dr.Joel Comez; Center for Applied Logistics
Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable: A Conversation on Race, Isms, Justice, Moving Forward and the Role White People Need to Play: Ryan Ross; Associate Vice Chancellor: Student Affairs, Equity, and Inclusion, Colorado Community College System leads the conversation with Clifton Taulbert; President and CEO, Freemount Corporation and Roots Java Coffee, Javon Brame; Dean of Students, Arapahoe Community College, Chelsea Williams; Founder & CEO, College Code LLC, and Representative Leslie Herod; Legislator, Colorado General Assembly
Equity in Engineering Programs: Priming the STEM Pipeline During and After COVID-19: Dr. Dora Renaud, Sr. Director of Academic Programs & Professional Development, SHPE: Leading Hispanics in STEM, Melanie Suarez, Student, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Mechanical Engineering, Nicolas Valencia Diaz, Student, Florida International University, Biomedical Engineering, Sophia Plata, PhD Student, University of Southern California, Environmental Engineering
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To view the recent Rural sessions, please see our YouTube channel:
Native American Business Opportunities, Tribal Economic Development and Post-secondary Education/Workforce Participation: J.C. Whorton, Jr.; Consultant, Lecturer, Author and Adjunct Faculty, University of Colorado Boulder, Don Kelin; President, Fox Professional Services, Rocky Mountain Indian Chamber of Commerce, Matt Rantanen; Director of Technology, Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s Association, Tribal Digital Village Network Initiative, and Melvin Monette; CEO, Indigenous Education, Inc.
Fortifying Native Students, Faculty and Communities During and After COVID-19: Ron Lessard (Mohawk); Acting Exec. Director, White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education leads panel including Diana Cournoyer; Oglala Sioux Tribe, Executive Director, National Indian Education Association, Michael Chamberlain; Special Assistant for Rural Outreach, US Department of Education, Carrie L. Billy; President & CEO, American Indian Higher Education Consortium, and features a performance by Ava Rose Johnson; Student and Musician, Native American Music Awards Winner
Rural Innovations in Education During COVID-19: Anne Trujillo; Anchor 7News, Denver moderates the panel which includes Tina Goar; Executive Director, San Luis Valley BOCES, Dr. Robert Mitchell; Asst. Professor of Leadership, Research, and Foundations, UCCS, Luis Murillo; Principal, Skoglund Middle School, and Samantha Yocam; Superintendent and Principal, Kim School District
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THE FLYOVER NATION
Energy's Role in a Troubled Heartland
By J.C. Whorton
A unique and timely discussion of the challenging issues facing the country’s troubled Heartland.
Since the beginning of westward expansion into the Heartland’s vast regions, natural resource development has played a historic role in shaping its communities. Today, domestic oil and gas development offers one of the strongest prospects for the Heartland’s present and future prosperity as well as the nation’s re-emergence as a dominant player in the global energy economy.
The U.S. is now the world’s largest producer of crude oil and natural gas, two circumstances that are universally disrupting international geopolitical order. The earth has a finite supply of natural resources and a rapidly growing and over consuming population.
As America positions itself for a very uncertain and constantly evolving global marketplace, will the Heartland become America’s “great connector” or “great divide”?
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J.C. Whorton is a senior level energy and financial professional with over forty years of essential experience. Having a ranching and Native American heritage, Mr. Whorton is a strong advocate for rural education and economic development initiatives.
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Links to read about Inclusive Leaders, many of whom are African American and people of color:
Curated sessions from GlobalMindED 2020 YouTube channel:
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From the Center for Positive Organizations:
From the Economist:
From Forbes:
From Harvard Business Review:
From the World Academy of Art & Science and UN; Geneva Global Leadership in the 21st Century econference:
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Listen here for an interview with Pam Newkirk, GlobalMindED speaker and author of Diversity Inc.: The Failed Promise of a Billion- Dollar Business.
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Responding to Crisis
The 30-Day Justice Plan
As the reset of America is underway, understanding the role you can play in a system of change can be difficult, but we encourage you to listen, learn and be active. To start, instead of, say, a juice cleanse, feed your brain and move yourself with this practical plan over the next month. Here's our guide of what to read, watch, listen to and do in order to be part of the solution.
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Your copy should address 3 key questions: Who am I writing for? (Audience) Why should they care? (Benefit) What do I want them to do here? (Call-to-Action)
Create a great offer by adding words like "free" "personalized" "complimentary" or "customized." A sense of urgency often helps readers take an action, so think about inserting phrases like "for a limited time only" or "only 7 remaining!"
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GlobalMindED and the SDG Impact Fund are delighted to announce GlobalMindED's Donor Advised Fund. 2020 is the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations and the 25th Anniversary of the Beijing Women's Declaration and Action Platform. Many from around the world are thinking of 2020 as the gateway to our most vital decade for delivering equity, the Sustainable Development Goals, and a world where all can thrive. Our key time for these outcomes is 2020-2030.
GlobalMindED DAF and the SDG Impact Fund are a powerful combined force for good as the 2019 year comes to a close and we reflect on the gratitude and the commitments we make to the causes we care most about. The DAF offers immense power and flexibility for giving prior to the year's end as you plant seeds of generous intention for 2020 and the decade ahead.
When you contribute to GlobalMindED, you support First Gen students. We have served more than 400 students by connecting them to role models, mentors, internships and jobs. Your generous support will allow us to take our work 10x and reach these talented students at scale who lack the resources and support we provide. Your support also helps teachers who can't afford the conference fees, faculty at colleges which are under resourced and students who persist at those universities despite food insecurity and/or housing insecurity.
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Meet GlobalMindED Founder, Carol Carter as interviewed by Tim Moore on his podcast Success Made to Last: From Success to Significance
Listen to Part 1 of Carol's interview
Listen to Part 2 of Carol's interview
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Recent GlobalMindED Newsletter Profiles:
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Since 2006 when the flagship TGR Learning Lab opened its doors in Anaheim, CA, TGR Foundation has had a lot to celebrate, including its most recent milestone of one million students impacted by TGR EDU: Explore, alone.
Developed in partnership with Discovery Education, TGR EDU: Explore is a free digital resource library that offers interactive web experiences, lesson plans, training videos and tools for educators, students and families to explore new disciplines and gain skills for a modern and expanding workforce.
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As you start the New Year, are you looking for ways to re-engineer your classroom culture? Check out Designing the Future: How Engineering Builds Creative Critical Thinking in the Classroom. The associated website has lots of activities, projects, and resources you can implement immediately. Our fall workshops using the book as a roadmap for change have been highly successful. Start designing the future today - try using the customized Study Guide for a book study in your PLC. Or contact ProjectEngin or Solution Tree to learn how you can bring professional development based on Ann's book to your school, district, or conference.
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