| This past week we were invited to guest speak by one of the teachers at Serra Mesa High School. The school is a safe and caring environment where students experience a second chance to achieve academically and grow socially. When we were asked if we could come in and share our stories about resiliency to help inspire the students, we gladly accepted.
We gathered some of our closest friends that have bounced back to share their stories with the youth. Some of the stories shared were about alcoholism, drugs, gang life, health-related issues, life-threatening accidents and even a wounded veteran. The guest speakers included were: Edgar Rodriguez (myself) my wife Rosie Rodriguez, Janet Hernandez Waldron, Cody Ayala and Josue Barron.
It was such an honor to be there and help these young men and women find a different outlet in life. Many of them don't have the needed foundation at home to overcome some of these obstacles that get thrown their way. We can all relate and understand what they are going through as most of us have been in their shoes. Sometimes all you need is that one person you can connect with to help show you the way. Our goal was to come in and make an impact on these students to help them make better decisions moving forward. You can't change the past, but you can decide how your future will look.
One by one we all shared our stories for about 10 minutes each, followed by a 5-minute video slideshow presentation that showed photos of what we just had talked about. We wrapped up the presentation with a few minutes of Q & A and took the opportunity to take some photos of the students. Cody was even so kind as to show them his famous hand-stand!
Personally, the best part about that day was seeing the students reactions to the stories and coming up to speak with us after. They were all intrigued and focused on what we were saying and realized that they were not alone. With excitement and smiles on their faces, they thanked us for being there and some even asked if we can come back! Such an amazing feeling that something so simple for us can leave such a big impact on another.
After we left the school, we discussed possibilities for future speaking engagements at other local schools. What if we can continue reaching out to the youth and inspiring them with our stories? Our goal at Resilient Squad is to continue impacting the lives of not only youth but adults as well. Life will come knocking at your door and it will try to beat you down many times, but we must not let it win. If we learn to become Resilient in life, we can overcome anything.
We will continue with our mission to inspire people around the world and let them know that no matter how bad it gets or how much pain you've endured, you can always bounce back stronger. Let's keep climbing and we'll see you at the top!
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