I started working part-time jobs at the age of 14. From the first paycheck I received, I had the determination that my adulthood would be calloused hands, making and caring for family, and paying bills. At the time, I was following the dominant culture of my Mexican traditions to work hard and do what is best for family. A turn of events during my senior year in high school led me to question my personal values and my future. While my closest friends were being accepted to colleges outside of San Antonio and outside of the state, I had not initiated a single step towards higher education. With my peers' influence, I started making moves. Entering the first SAT testing room triggered ideas of uncertainty and feelings of anxiety. I feared and expected the worse. After the examination, I did not have a person to turn to about the SAT scores. "Was this good or bad?" So I took it a second time and visited with my college counselor at my high school. I actually did better the first time, but after my second attempt I felt the confidence to apply to my local community college Northwest Vista College. 

After three years of working two part-time jobs, being a part- and full-time student, I gained enough experience to make the transfer from community college to Texas State University. Once there, I directed myself to life changing experiences. My senior year, I committed myself to an internship with TRiO Upward Bound. Upward Bound's purpose is to provide academic, personal, and cultural support of first-generation, low-income students who showed academic need. Upward Bound's ultimate goal is to develop learning and motivational skills with students to graduate from high school and enroll in a post-secondary program. I served as a tutor and mentor to Upward Bound students at three local high schools during the regular academic semester. I had an amazing experience being a voice to students pursuing higher education as a role model that I wish I had as a high school student. I grew passionate in giving autonomy and belongingness to students who would have otherwise struggled just as I had going into higher education. I continued participating with the Upward Bound program by being a Resident Assistant with their summer programming for three summers. My experience with Upward Bound was the beginning of a network that projected my passion to empower the success of future college students. While working with Upward Bound in 2015, I earned my Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a minor in Social Work. 

I was honored to have committed a year of service after graduating with the non-profit program AmeriCorps City Year program in my hometown. City Year's purpose is to provide service members to support local public schools with low standardized test scores and with a high population of low income students. While a corps member, I helped students develop fundamental reading and writing skills as an instructor's assistant and as an afterschool tutor. I began to feel that my role and connection in education reflect my strengths and experiences towards scholarship. The longevity of this newfound spirit was REAL. The corps member experience led me to lean into my uncomfortability with professionalism and leadership. I became a leader with the English City Year team, co-leading an afterschool diversity/cultural club and became a trustworthy mentor to many students. With all of the great experiences, I learned and took pride in what it means to serve others. 

After a year with City Year and a second year of hard labor, I found myself continuing my education experiences to follow my passion in contributing to the educational path of others. As a master's student with the Developmental Education program, I became an academic coach for first-year students at Texas State University. I facilitated mini-lessons on learning strategies and campus resources, presented learning strategies in first-year courses, and cultivated a network that benefitted many first-year students' experiences. Seeing many students across two semesters, I fostered mentorship to connect and build strengths with students' educational identity. Where students might only see jobs at the end of their undergraduate program, I ask them, "What is your passion in your career choices?" This question facilitated autonomous recognition of the internal motivation that grounds how to to face the challenges of academics and life. 

By following my passion, I gained experiences and purpose to contribute to others in education. As a first-generation doctoral student that serves all students in higher education, I am grateful for my family and peers that helped pave my path. Their guidance and affirmations ignited my passion to places across the country, my name in print and the ability to empower others. Through my work, I can pay forward through my service of research and practice in education so others can pursue their passion and their personal contributions to the world. I look forward to meeting you in June at GlobalMindED 2020. 

Related Articles: 

• Racial Equity and Workforce Development 
• The Future of Work: A Tale of Multiple Americas 
• Special report: Higher education's existential crisis 
• Elite Private Schools Helps Keep Insiders At The Top And Outsiders Below
• The Workforce Is Calling, Higher Education, Will You Answer?
• The Future of Work in America: People and Places, Today and Tomorrow

Each session is based on how things get done, key stakeholders, measurements and ability to bring about change at scale. Participants do not spend time talking about their background; time should be devoted to unique, innovative work and what it has achieved. Sessions will be selected based on the following criteria: 

Entertainment For Change creates original song and dance (#SDGGROOVE) to educate young people on the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Like any meaningful social change, the original song and dance is a collaborative effort between more than 20 singers, dancers, writers and choreographers. Lauded vocalists Natalie Weiss and Antonio Cipriano lend their voices to the powerful lyrics, while each SDG is  danced by performers of all calibers.

The National Academy of Medicine defines "gender" as a person's self-representation as male or female based on social interactions and "sex" as based on one's genes. The environment can impact gene expression which is known as "epigenetics."

Gender/sex impacts every aspect of our daily lives. The same dosage of medication, for example, has different effects on men compared to women, resulting in a need for us to understand these differential effects in the research and development process before doctors can effectively dose their patients. Similarly, although some products (such as shoes, sports equipment, or cars) seem to have separate designs for men and women, it is important to distinguish between a simple change in aesthetics and a design that actually addresses the biological factors (ie, body composition, bone structure, metabolism) that cause men and women to experience these products differently. Each small detail and seemingly insignificant change in design can heavily impact how we perform at work, school, or in our leisurely activities.

GUIDELINES

Participants:

The challenge is open to all students

Design Requirements:

The design elements can include:

Programs (ex: an educational symposium);

Policies (ex: a policy on inclusion);

Protocols (ex: athletic training protocols or medical guidelines); or

Products (ex: sports equipment, clothing, tools, hardware and machine-human interfaces).

Solution Requirements:

The solution should:

Demonstrate the impact of gender/sex on a design element.

The concept for the design element needs to be clear, concise and actionable.

Submissions (approximately 1-2 pages in length) are due November 7 to contact@globalminded.org. We look forward to your ideas!