I was invited to the Distinguished Lecture Series "Pathway to Success" a program offered at Maplewood high school http://www.mnps.org/ . I enjoyed speaking to the students about entrepreneaurship http://www.entrepreneur.com/
The students of Mrs. Talmoudge Science class were very attenative with great dialogue. I encourage them to gather as many tools as possible. I shared with them that they will need multiple tools to maneuver through the real world. " You must have more than a hammer, because the world is more than nails". I reiterated the importance of education and achievement. I told them to never give up on their hopes and dreams. If you can believe it, you can achieve it.
They were very enthused and ask really good questions like, "What does it take to be your own boss" and "How do you start a business"
A large majority of students at Maplewood come from deprieved environments. I encourage them to step outside of their bubble. I discussed the importance of positive exposure. When I entered the class as a minority woman and entrepreneur, they were exposed. They met someone who IS what they can BECOME. They shared their aspirations with me; from an architecht to an attorney and culinary to cosmetology, the kids had real dreams!
Kudos to Mrs. Talmouge for positively exposing your students!
I concluded with a quote from Sir Winston Churchill: "The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity, the optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty"
