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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Holly Ruxin is one of GlobalMindED’s Foundation and Funders leaders and champions. While her life and work have taken her around the world, to Wall Street, and to the most impactful places of influence, her son took her to the most rewarding place of all: her own heart. We are honored to share this story as we cover heroes of ability status for the rest of October. Your Rx for inspiration can be found here. |
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Our Story
Holly and Marc Ruxin’s son Trevor is the inspiration behind TrevorTCR. Until he was four years old, Trevor behaved normally - doing all the things that boys do. Starting around the age of five, he began to lose many of the physical and mental skills and abilities he once had. His medical condition is undiagnosed. However, his laughter, joy, and spirit are omnipresent and contagious. As Holly and Marc, like many parents with special needs children, manage their busy careers, their other children, and the various demands and unique routines involved, a community was built to support and nurture Trevor and help him thrive. The magic of Trevor’s community is evident in his laughter, joy and vivacity and the happiness of all of those that partake in his care. He is an energetic force who inspires people around him.
We want to grow the blanket of the Trevor community. We believe everyone matters and everyone has something to give. We want to build a community that allows all of us to feel valued, empowered and connected.
Trevor's Story
I’m not exactly sure of the specifics of how this message was sent to me as I was growing up, but I am sure that the resounding message across the board was: achieve. Achieve good grades, achieve acceptance into a good college, achieve acceptance into a good graduate school, achieve a good job, achieve money, at some point achieve a relationship and a family. And if you can achieve each of these tangible accomplishments, then you have a life worth living. I don’t suspect the words were ever spoken to me exactly like that. But the message was continually communicated from my parents, teachers, mentors, family members and friends.
So I worked to achieve - and to achieve the life on paper that looked like I had it all. And then one day everything changed. After having a wonderful baby boy who was growing into a wonderful toddler and a thriving young child, something wasn’t progressing the way it was ‘supposed’ to. Milestones were not being met. At almost five years of age, our perfect son started missing and then losing all of his milestones. He lost his ability to talk, to walk, to use his hands and to pretty much do anything physically or outwardly mental
While any situation like this is difficult to comprehend and deal with, the slow pace of how this transpired over the course of several years was especially difficult to get one’s mind around and incredibly more difficult for the heart to understand. And no one seemed to know what was wrong with him. All of the accomplished doctors who had achieved their education at top hospitals, held jobs in top think tanks, and had achieved renown in their fields – they were at a loss. And thus so were we. As the years went by, and the prodding and poking and traveling and discoveries led to dead ends, we came to understand the deep limitations of our knowledge about the brain and the vast limitations of even those who had achieved at the highest level. The ones who had accomplished all that they were supposed to as society defined it for them still could not help
There are a myriad of issues to navigate when taking care of a child who is losing skills -- therapies, schooling, testing, and the list goes on. But the most difficult thing for me to wrap my head around was: what am I going to do with a child who can’t achieve? A child who can’t achieve all of the skills and tangibles that I was taught mattered most. For our young son there would be no talking, art, drawing, reading, sports, getting into schools, making friends …. all of the things that my friends and family members with kids were focused on around me. He was clearly not going to achieve any of it.
How do I not feel like a total failure? If my child can’t keep up with the expectations of the society that we live in, any of the expectations, then honestly, I couldn’t figure out what ultimately is the point of his existence? And I struggled with this thought for more time than I am even able to admit. Until finally, I started seeing how misguided I was, how I was looking in the wrong direction and how I had been taught to look in the wrong direction. I was facing the wrong way.
This is not a realization that one comes to overnight or even over the course of a year. It came for me after years of thought and observation and honesty with myself and those around me. The new direction that I was facing was the beginning of a new understanding. Instead of all of the tangibles I had been taught to focus on, the achievement that really matters is to be treated with love, kindness and respect, and to ultimately treat all others in the same way
It has taken me years to understand that striving for this type of understanding requires small steps, taken one at a time. Over the course of my experience, any time that I questioned the way forward or found myself caught back in the old messages that trained me, I simply look at my eldest son and recognize his innocence and understanding. Finally what became so abundantly clear to me is that Trevor has achieved more in his short lifetime than any person whom I have ever known. I began to understand that he was born with an understanding of how to garner unconditional love from those around him. He was born with the ability to give unconditional love back no matter what the circumstance – he exudes only kindness and compassion and heart. And as a result he vastly changes the lives of every person he meets. He is an incredibly bright light who smiles at strangers, who can’t talk but has laughter that can melt an icecap, who never complains, who sees joy in the simplest of gestures.
Trevor has achieved something that as a parent I can only ever hope for my other two children, for myself and for any human being. He has achieved peace born out of kindness and love for one another.
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Wednesday, October 21, 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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