GUALA: Has it only been two days?

@National World War II Memorial

Hey Y'all,

This is Maria Ibarra checking in! I am in the nation's capital, Washington, DC, at the GEAR UP Alumni Leadership Academy (GUALA) representing the great state of Texas and Region One ESC GEAR UP: Ready, Set, College!. This is my first trip that I take outside of Texas and the first time I ever get on an airplane, so I was definitely nervous about traveling to DC, but I figured it out and made it safely. I arrived to DC this past Saturday and I cannot believe that two days have already gone by.

The day I flew in I had the opportunity to meet the rest of the amazing alumni leaders that came from across the country to gain more tools to be able to empower the next generation. We learned each other's names, what state we represent, what we are studying, and other things that you usually want to know from other people. Although we "knew" each other, today we had an amazing presentation called "Public Speaking and Media Relations" offered by the great Shayna Englin which taught us how to find and identify our struggles and the amazing journey that brought us to where we are today. I loved this session because I learn more about myself in the process, but most importantly because I learned more about who the other alumni leaders are and what drove them to be here today. We all come from different states, different backgrounds, and different cultures but we are not that different in what we want to accomplish. I believe that diversity will be one the best assets that we have as a network.

I have always believed that although people are very different there will always be one thing that brings them together. So I encourage you to not be so quick to judge; to get out of your comfort zone meet people, go places, and take opportunities. If it scares you it might be a good idea to try it.

Sincerely,
Maria