The Way to College Podcast - Ep 178 - Kelley Francis

Hi, this is Dr. Osses Aliva with another episode of Way to College Pi. I'm a student at the University of California, and I'm a student at the University of California, and I'm a student at the University of California, and I'm a student at the University of California, and I'm really excited to hear her story. Before I say anything else, I'd like to let her introduce herself. Kelly, would you mind introducing yourself to our listeners out there? Absolutely. Bienvenidos a todos. My name is Kelly Francis. I am in the lovely today, sunny Chicago, Illinois, and I have the honor of leading an organization called the High Tech Foundation, which I'm sure we'll get into some more information about. But I hail from Chicago, and that is where I have landed in my adult life. Awesome. Awesome. Kelly, I'm excited to get into this, and I start every podcast. I was telling you earlier, I don't have really scripted questions, but I always ask the same first question. And the question is, if you had to go back and look back to your educational journey, all of our journeys have a starting point. What would you say is the starting point of your educational journey? Sure. I don't know. Okay. Well, I would say first and foremost, I come from two extremely hardworking parents that value education. And I think that's a really defining moment for me. When there wasn't really a choice on was I going to college, it was what college am I going to? It wasn't a choice on am I going to continue learning things or explore or research or question the status quo. It's when am I doing XYZ? So I guess for me, it was when I was making the decision for high schools. In Chicago, it's very interesting. You could choose the public school route, which is great. I went to an all girls Catholic high school. And there are two in my area on the southwest side, Mother McCauley and Queen of Peace. I went to Queen of Peace. Some will say that I followed my sisters, but I will beg to differ and challenge them on that. I really just loved my high school environment. And I think it was where I really kind of became myself. I found things that I was just passionate about. And people, you know, for me, education is the one thing that you take with you, regardless. Like when you die, you will always have what you've learned and what you've shared with others. And so that's kind of where it all started. So in high school, and then I made the choice to go to the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. And that was a scary, scary choice for me. You know, I remember talking to my parents about, okay, well, I got in now what, and I didn't want to just be a number at a large university. And that's really easy to do to just kind of fill in and fit in with everyone around you. And that's not me. I mean, as you could see right now, I'm bold and I'm colorful and love it or hate it, take it or leave it. It is what you like, you get what you get when you talk to Kelly. And so, um, yeah, I just made it a point to not be just one of the numbers at, in college. And it's something that I've continually had to remind myself even in my career of stand out, be yourself and just be authentically you. I love that. I love that. My question now though is high school, Kelly, what was high school, Kelly, like, what, like where you is equal, you said you sort of found yourself in high school. And you said, you know, you're bold, you love to stand out. I love the print, by the way. Um, you know, were you as were you equally as bold in high school? Man, I think that what did that look like? I think we would have to ask like high school friends of mine or, you know, peers, what they thought of me. I mean, I'm sure they were sick of me. No, it's so funny. But, um, I think, yes, I, I, what I have really kind of always been this way. I think in grammar school, um, when I had challenges, kind of with my personal identity and weight and things like that, when I got to high school and kind of was maturing and becoming more comfortable with myself, like people couldn't get me to shut up. Um, I was president of the Spanish National Honor Society, officer of National Honor Society. Um, I think for me, you know, giving back and I had foreign exchange students from Columbia and I think it was, you know, probably my sophomore year in college or sorry, in high school at Queen of Peace when I realized like, wow, I really like Spanish and I'm good at it. And I'm going to use this as a way to have a career. I don't know how. Um, I had told my parents back then, um, well, I always threatened. I was never going to live in Chicago. I was never going to live close to them. I was going to be abroad. Um, I was either going to be an ambassador for the United States, work for the State Department or, you know, work at a large corporation in Spain or Mexico and see you later. You know, you'll never see me. And the joke was on me because I was the one, you know, I graduated school and I moved, uh, bought my first house in my old on the road from my parents. But, um, I think there are so many things in a period of time that happened. I studied abroad. I had that experience. I loved it. I missed home. Um, and I think there are lots of things that happen in our lives and I think you need to kind of check in with yourself and say, what is this experience teaching me? And my study abroad was that I have a fierce law for travel, meeting new people, cultural experiences. I had a host family that I lived with. It was amazing. Um, those things for me really just fill my cup. They bring me immense joy, showing pictures to other people, talking about a story, even if, you know, now Kelly, if my husband has to correct me, oh, it didn't happen on that street or in that city because he's the one that can actually remember. Um, my mom brain, you know, might forget some of those pieces, but I definitely remember the way I felt. Um, and I think that's something that, you know, I always check in on, okay, what did this experience teach me? Is it something, you know, worth continuing? So my study abroad taught me that I didn't like being away from family. I was definitely, um, a homebody and you can be a homebody and still have a really rich life filled with travel and experiences. Um, it just might look different than what high school me was, was threatening my parents with. I love that. I love that. You know, keeping in that theme of being bold, right? And, and really, I think, um, examining for that identity, personality, I, um, for 20 years, I, I worked at a, at a local regional university in Texas and the last four years as a, as a, as a program coordinator, I used to come in and do a lot of presentations with, uh, or like orientation that get a room full of parents and students and I, uh, and I'd challenge them and I'd ask them, how are you going to stand out? And I said, because look, imagine all of your graduate at the same degree, jumping at the same job market, what are you going to do to stand out? And so I love this message in, in, in this theme of being bold. My question to you, how did you stand out? Right? You said you didn't want to be a number. You did the study abroad. What else, what else did you do? What else did you take on that allowed you to stand out and really, uh, embrace sort of that personality? Yeah. So I would say even, you know, prior to college, uh, I, I've been telling this story a lot lately as people have been asking about my career journey and how I ended up in nonprofits, which is by complete chance. But so as, you know, I was having these talks with my parents of where I was going to school, um, for university because like I shared, it was not an option. It was you're going, um, which I love by the way, I think to any parents that are listening, don't make it an option. Continuous learning is beneficial for all of us. And there are many routes. There are community colleges, local universities, large universities, private schools, trade schools, just make your kid do something, you know, don't give them the option to sit around. Um, well, so we're having this conversation and, you know, talking about careers and my dad's like, you know, pharmaceutical sales is where it's at. That is where you're going to make the money. Um, you love talking, people like listening to you, like, you know, I'd buy, I'd buy drugs for me. And, you know, like I'm like cracking up, like, okay, like, and can you imagine, can you use Spanish for that? And I'm like, yeah, okay, interesting. I'm not doing that. I am going to go to the University of Illinois. I'm going to study Spanish and business. And that's what I'm going to do. And I think, um, for me, it was my dad is an entrepreneur. He, um, worked, gosh, I think was like 40 years at the phone company, um, that had a billion names here in Illinois started out, I think is Illinois Bell. Um, but so always had these side jobs to, to pay for mine and my siblings schooling. And it was, you know, for me, such a telling thing of if he's willing to work nights and weekends and holidays and come home for a quick meal and a shower and go back out and go to work, clearly education is important. And I didn't want to let him or my mom down. And so I went in and I said, I'm going to do this. And it could lead to a really amazing career, or it could lead to a degree that ends up me doing nothing with my degree, which is fine, because I will still have graduated from a prestigious university. And I will figure it out. Um, and I think that's like what's most important in life. Like you will pivot a million times. Uh, high school, Kelly was never going to work in the nonprofit industry. Uh, and if like, if I went back and told myself, my, my younger self, okay, you're going to work in nonprofits, you're going to live a mile from mom and dad, you know, you're, you're then going to move and, and to another neighborhood and you're going to have children and they're going to be in a school system that has a dual language program. I would be like, yeah, right, like this would never happen. Um, but so kind of the standing out and being bold in college was very much taking the advice from high school counselors that said, you know, you're going to a really big school and when you're in a seminar with 300 people, what are you going to do? And I was like, oh, well, I think what they want me to say is I'm going to sit in the front row and I'm going to be really attentive and I'm going to raise my hand. And that wasn't me. I wasn't, I'm not a front row sitter, um, kind of middle of the pack, you know. But I always paid attention and I made it a point on the first day of every new class to introduce myself to the professor and the TA and to let them know that I would be contacting them if I had any issues. And I would say it was one thing that, you know, some laughed at me, some I think were terrified, like who was this student, you know, and is she really going to follow through on this? And honestly, there were classes like that were very difficult for me that I would then go set up TA office hours or write my professor and be like, what's the curve for this test going to be? Because I know I flunked it and I need help. But I think it takes like recognizing those things and owning it. That was some of the best advice that I had gotten was to introduce myself and, you know, make notes of things they like. They're humans too. And so I was like, I had one professor that likes scarves and collected them from their travel. And so made it a point, like on a really big test, I wore a new scarf and afterward was like, Oh, thought you would want to, like, not that it gave me any additional points, but like, then they remember, oh, yeah, that student remembered something that I talked about in a class. And I still do that to this day, I use it in networking, I take notes and things that that some people might be like, wow, that's really creepy. I find I find it is like connection points of, you know, I spoke with this individual and she had gorgeous green eyes and like, but that is what I am going to remember about them when I see them again is, Oh my God, her eyes. And I met her in New York City at this event, you know. And so I think making notes that are important and relevant to you, like, what is going to stand out? Are you a date person? Do you remember dates? Do you remember cities and experience? For me, it's a lot to do with color. Like, I could even tell you, you know, when I met a coworker two years ago at X event, that she was wearing a beautiful pink dress, and it's suited her, you know, like, it's just odd. But so I make notes and whether it be on LinkedIn or in my like contacts on my phone, and then I'll go back if I'm ever having mom brain or forgetting, Oh, when you know, when did I meet them? Or how do I know them? I look it up and or I don't have fear and saying, I am so sorry, this rarely happens for me. But can you like remind me where we met or how I know you because I meet so many people day in and day out that it's it's hard to remember everyone. But I like to be the person that does, if that makes sense. Yeah, no, absolutely. And I love, you know, I always encourage students go talk to your professors. You know, listening to your story, I was sort of reminded of my own and, and, you know, I went away to school, I was far away from home. And, and I think I did it not to stand out. I did it more as like a sort of like a life jacket to myself because I didn't want to fail. And I thought I just need this professor to know that I care and that I'm trying. But I think like you, I love to connect with people. And so I remember things about the professors, I remembered, you know, things that they collected their travels, conversation pieces or points that that I can come back and follow up on. So I love that. I love all of everything that you shared because absolutely paying attention to those things and connecting really matter, especially in the university, I think more so than, than, than we let on. And I know it's it never feels like that's something that is shared with students. But just because it'll serve you so well, even post college, right? I mean, I imagine, like you said, in your work, remembering this woman with the green eyes that you met in New York and, and the other little things that Eric has said that she's probably rolling her eyes because I told her. Yeah, I told her at our last event, like, Oh, my gosh, I can never forget you because your eyes and so yes. No, and I think to your point, too, like you said, I always looked at it as a life jacket. And it, there are two perspectives to them both the kind of positive. Oh, I stood out, I want to stand out. And there's this not negative, but more realistic view of I was trying to survive. I was trying to like, make it through, you know, and I think when I was in it, I was definitely like, man, this is my life jacket. This is like how I'm not going to fail. Now when I look back, I look at it from this very positive lens of Oh, I brought you know, I, you know, I stood out in such a way when probably not the case. Yeah. And I think I was also just one of those students like I would not wear pajamas to class. Like I and like it is so funny because even now, like loungewear is for lounging or working out like it isn't for being seen outside of the house. And if I am even like by a neighbor, I'm like, Oh my God, like, you know, and they're like, well, it's like normal wear, normal clothing. But I think it's something about like putting your best foot forward like how would you want anyone to meet you and to see you. And you know, sometimes it was for me in clothing or jewelry or, you know, the the notepad that I brought with me and the colorful pen. But I think all of those are like reflections of us. So yeah, I love that. I love that. Yeah, absolutely. You're you're in college and you said you're majoring in Spanish and business, correct? And you're doing this with an eye towards what what is it that you are looking hoping to do after college? Yeah, so I either wanted to work for a large corporation abroad. I had said Spain or Mexico. I studied abroad in Barcelona, my freshman year. And it was the summer after my freshman year right before starting my first internship. And the summer session was hard, I almost didn't go. My grandmother was was pretty sick. And it was kind of this decision of, do I stay? Do I go? And, you know, I was kind of told it was, I think it was like an eight week experience, like it's eight weeks. And if something happens in eight weeks, you know, that's life. And we'll we'll cross that point when when it happens. Still to this day, I can't believe it because I swear, and I'll get choked up, but I swear my grandmother waited for me, she passed away. I'm so sorry, a couple days after I had got in home and got to see her. But what I think I learned from that is there's so much fear in the unknown. There was fear, you know, I remember signing the the paperwork for this loan to have this once in a lifetime opportunity is what I was selling it to my parents. And my dad, you know, shows the paper, and he said, you're financially responsible for it. If you want this experience, you're going to figure out how to pay for it. And I'm like, Okay, and as I'm signing it, I'm like, What am I doing? Like, am I crazy? Now I'm laughing. I'm like, Why didn't you do more? Like, why did you only do eight weeks? Like, what? But um, so that experience honestly taught me that there's so much fear in a lot of what we do. And you can either let it be a reason to hold you back or push you out of your comfort zone. So I went. Like I said, the experience was amazing. I loved Barcelona. I have visions now of retiring there, which would just be magical. But it also taught me Yeah, I'm a homebody. I really like being close to family and friends, which Illinois is kind of where that's at. And then to, you know, then that kind of also opened up like a can of I could see myself working for the government or having like a role I mentioned, State Department or Embassy. I just always kind of saw myself as like an ambassador, a welcomeer, I like to help people. So I just like had to dreams of Oh my gosh, like what if I work for the consulate or what if I was the ambassador to the United States? Like how cool would that be? I applied. I want to say it was like two years out of college and it just didn't happen. And that's okay. But yeah, so I think like there's a series of things here where I guess I didn't know what I really wanted to be when I was studying Spanish and business. I knew I wanted to work in kind of a corporate world. I liked working with people. I like networking. I love numbers. I think in combination of having a very artistic like linguistic mind, I also have a very STEM focused mind. And so the science, technology, engineering, math, all of that. Like I love it. I love processes. I love, you know, if I were asked to set up like an operation strategy for an organization, like I would get the giggles because it would literally bring me so much joy to put a process in place. And then to see people using it and checking off step by step what it is that I laid out. I am a very process oriented person. So I had no clue what I wanted to do. I think I spent many hours like researching Spanish and business. What can I do in a career? And, you know, thank goodness at that point, Google was around. Because could you imagine like if, you know, my parents' generation trying to even explain to my grandparents what it is I was doing. They're like, why? Why are you doing that? And, you know, I get questioned all of the time, like, are you Hispanic? And no, I'm not. I think in a previous life I was. I am Irish American and still have tons of family in Ireland. And I think that is kind of where I get that wanderlust from of the just zest for travel. Being able to go and visit family in Ireland is amazing. And for them to come here and, you know, share our experiences. Having the foreign exchange students in high school from Columbia, like, that taught my family so much that I had no clue that that experience would even provide. And then just my own, you know, study abroad. It was like there are so many rich cultures. And instead of focusing on our differences, I choose to focus on how similar we all are. And so I always say everyone's like best non-Latina friend who pretends to choose Latina, like family, food, friendships, faith, are kind of cornerstones of the Irish. And I would say Hispanics as well. And so instead of like finding things that separate us, I really choose to focus on ways that we're all so much more similar and united in this world. You know, as you're walking us through that, it sounded like, you know, you said you weren't sure what you wanted to do. But, and as you sort of reflected on those experiences, it sounded like you have a very good sense of your interests, your skills, your strengths. Would you say in the moment, is that correct? Like it's so college, you know, Kelly, as you're getting ready to head out into the, you know, the quote unquote real world, did you have a good sense of who you were, what your strengths were, what you enjoyed, what you were maybe looking for, maybe not so much the specific job, but you knew what you were looking for, so to speak. Yeah, I think I hit a very good like self identity and sense of self. I would say from a very young age, my parents just did a really amazing job at teaching me and my siblings that we're all different. We can do different things and we could all find our own path to success and, and that's okay. And I think now as a parent, I really like respect that and it's something that I try and emulate because my kids are so different. And, you know, when I look back at high school and college me, I did very much know this is a strength and a skill to know another language. And my parents did a really great job of complimenting like, Oh, you do that so nicely, or you are just a networker and my mom will say, I hate networking. I don't like talking to people I don't know. And, and while I don't necessarily like it, I don't seek it out. I love meeting new people. And so I'm kind of like, well, I just don't call it networking and then it's fine. And so I think it is important at a young age to like you kind of decide like, I wasn't really a sports person. I'm athletic. I like working out. I like sports. But I was in theater and I was in show choir and drama and, you know, ran all the language clubs and like a school geek. And I like owned those things. And I think it was very early on, I would say probably 15 or 16 that it was just like, this is who I am, take it or leave it. And I would say much hasn't changed for me. I'm still very much like a theater nerd. I will go to any play show, musical, you know, a concert amazing, if it's free, even better, like count me in. And yet I still really like athletic things and, you know, connecting with new people. So I would say not to go as like drastic as write down the skills and what you're good at, but take time to reflect. And sometimes it's awkward. I actually, I remember one of my first kind of real formalized mentor like relationships and I had to, I was tasked like with this homework series of making either like a PowerPoint or a presentation about me, but it couldn't have any words on it. It had to be all pictures. And then I would talk through the pictures. And it was about myself and goals and aspirations. And at the time I was like goals and aspirations, like the aspiration is to get through the end of the workday and to go home. And, you know, like I wasn't looking so far into the future. It was very much a one day at a time. And I think they pose back like, think bigger, like this is okay. And, you know, I took it very seriously. As I do a lot of things in my life, almost to the point where I was like, I mean, I signed up for this like mentor experience. And like, I'm going to give myself an ulcer with the stress that I'm causing myself. But I think it was a really good opportunity for me not only to look like inside what kind of makes me tick and makes me happy, helping other people, knowing that I could be a resource in one way, shape or form to one person throughout my day. I'm like, that was a good day. And that's still like today. If I know, oh my gosh, Marie, my neighbor called and she had needed help figuring out how to get her printer to work. And I walked her through it and she got her document printed. It was a good day. And that might not have even been on my list in the morning of like things to accomplish for the day. But it's to say, you know, our skills and who we are, it shows up both in our personal life and our professional life. And there's going to be some workdays that are hard and that you don't accomplish half of what you want, or you feel defeated, or you're told no. And those days are going to come and they could even come in college, they could come, you know, you'll get a big fat F on a sheet of paper and there wasn't a curve on that test and you really expected there to be. And in the moment, it is the worst thing ever worst day. How could this happen? No one's looking at your college test score and what you got that day. Let me tell you, when I'm interviewing people, I don't care. Like there are times I don't even want to ask for GPA because I'm like, it's kind of a joke. And it's not, but like, I still think about the one class in college I got in the sea. And and I still beat myself up over it. And I'm like, what does it matter? I still graduated with a 3.92. Like who cares? And now 15, 16 years into my career, no one will ever ask you, hey, what was your GPA when you graduated from school? Nobody cares. And so, yeah, I would also just say like, don't beat yourself up for the small things. It is so easy to get bogged down on all the stresses in life and to look at things from a negative lens. And I've, you know, fallen victim to that, you know, come November in Chicago when it is dreary and dark and cold. Like, oh, I feel so negative. And I just had to remind myself, oh, but today I could talk to a student that we've awarded a scholarship to, or I could have an impact on Hispanic Heritage Month event for an organization who was just learning of the High Tech Foundation in the work that we do, or I could help a neighbor or my kid, you know, learn how to tie his shoes. And like, just find the one thing at any point in your day. From the minute you wake up to the minute you go to bed and, you know, I'm one of those people, if you track your steps, you literally have until you weigh your head down to accomplish it. So like, even if that circle hasn't been checked or the ring hasn't dinged yet, like, it's okay. Like, I mean, there's still 30 seconds to make something happen. Give your dog a treat and it'll be a good day. I love that. It sounds like all in all, like, I think regardless of where you're at in life, regardless of what you're experiencing, a healthy dose of perspective is good. We're keeping positive. And so, like you said, it could be the smallest thing that you were able to do for somebody. But even that, like really, really reflecting on that and again, just perspective. You know, ultimately, after graduating, where was, where did you find yourself in terms of a career and a job? So I was very fortunate to have an internship my freshman summer right after returning from Barcelona. And it was through a program at the University of Illinois called Spanish in Illinois in the communities. And so I was placed at the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. And it was a nonprofit organization in the city. I first commuted to Pilsen and then switched to the Chicago office in downtown and loved both equally. I think I really liked being in the community in Pilsen, but downtown was very much an easier commute for me. I was driving to Pilsen or taking the train and making train friends and stuff going downtown. So I interned there all the years of college. And I graduated and I was like, I am not going to work there. Even though I loved it. And I remember going to the career fair and networking with all of these companies and feeling like it was stiff competition. There were tons of jobs, especially at the U of I career fair that were like accounting, business, consulting. And I couldn't figure out how I fit into that. And I think I spent even more time reflecting like what was it that I loved about my internship. And it was kind of being like a civil servant, social impact work. There was a guaranteed positive moment of every day when I was working at IHCC because I was interacting with businesses and supporting them. Whether it was they wanted to work with government agencies or corporations to just staying alive as a small business. And so I then was given an offer for a full time position. And I took it saying to my parents that like, you know, still I'm moving home, but it's not going to be for long. And I didn't want to be like that kid that like moved home and then couldn't make any money and stayed at home, you know, like I was like, oh, I just had this fear. And not that that's a bad thing. I saved a lot of money in the seven months or so that I lived at home. And after a couple failed attempts of finding a roommate to move into the city with, my best friend who I grew up with that happened to live across the street, she was like, I need to get out too. And I want to move to the city. And so we did. We moved into the city. And I worked at the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce then until 2019. And literally war every hat imaginable. I was the intern, I was project coordinator, events and membership, vice president and programs and operations, chief operating officer and interim president and CEO. And I think every position taught me something about myself, maybe something more that I wanted or something that excite excited me. And I think for me, one of like the pivotal opportunities when I was there was starting a program at a local high school called Christo Rage Jesuit High School. And it was to expose high school students to the world of entrepreneurship. How cool is that? Like, that is very cool. Yeah. And so that was kind of when I realized I really love education. And there's something here. And I don't know if it's working at a high school, working at a university, but the interfacing with students just was my jam. So I left there and I worked, ran a Chicago nonprofit called Calculated Genius, which is still doing great things. If you haven't heard of them, Calculated Genius is focused on supporting underrepresented youth in technology and engineering, specifically students from Chicago and with a focus on women, stemminists. And so I felt like really called to like, empower these girls and then one day got a call from my first boss who runs High Tech Global and was asked if I would consider running the High Tech Foundation. And, you know, for me, it was all very full circle moment because like, what a telling experience if you never know, like, who and your wife is going to play what part. I knew when Omar had left IHCC, I was heartbroken. Like, we were a dynamic duo. And I laughed because like, you saw Omar, you generally saw me, you saw me, you saw Omar. And it was like, he had a role that he was playing and I had a very specific role that I was playing. But it was very like at local organized events. Like, it was just comfortable because he was a leader that I grew under. I found who I was as a professional. He respected me and challenged me. And I think yeah, we all need those people. So when he left, you know, I was heartbroken. And so when he called, I of course was like, I mean, this has been five years in the making, where have you been? Oh, dare you leave me, you know, to suffer? No. But I think like every kind of position in life, like even the period of time in there that I was unemployed, you know, what a challenge of telling, you know, telling someone who every day got up and commuted to work. One day you're just not going to get up and commute. And I was terrified, you know, I had a nine month old baby, my second son, and I had a two year old running around and my husband had just started a new job. And I was like, Oh my God, like, are we going to afford life? Like, you know, can we afford our mortgage? Do we have savings in a backup plan? And luckily, I got hired for Calculated Genius soon after that. And so there wasn't that long of questioning and imposter syndrome seeping in. But it's always there. Even now, I'm like, okay, how are we looking financially? Do we have a safeguard? Are there plans in place? What if I got sick? What if you got sick? And while they're horrible thoughts to have, I think, as an individual like me that is so focused on planning and strategy and, you know, the operational and foundation elements, if those things aren't in place, I get really nervous and scared. So I came to the High Tech Foundation in 2022. And it's been amazing. Quite the journey. So Kelly, tell me about the High Tech Foundation. What exactly is it? What do you all do? Yeah. So the High Tech Foundation is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to uplifting the next generation of Hispanic technology talent. And there are three pillars to the work that we do. Our flagship program, which is scholarships, we've awarded over $1.5 million in scholarships since 2017 to amazingly deserving students across the United States in all varying degrees of technology. And, you know, I get a lot of questions about that, like technology, like how broad can you, you know, and it's very broad because I was the type of student, technology touches everything. And it really does. And so to a student that could be pursuing a career, let's say in the financial services industry, are you looking at cybersecurity? Are you looking at back end processes? It's technology. And so to anyone that's maybe questioning that, like, definitely check out our website and be sure to apply because chances are you would fit the mold. And so then we pair our students with mentors from the High Tech Global Community professionals in the industry that can help them set up kind of some goals for the year. And it'll vary for everyone. Freshman, PhD level students obviously have very different goals in mind. Freshman, sometimes it's just surviving as a first generation college student. You know, did it, was I prepared enough for like my move to school? You know, did, you know, sometimes you don't have family that will provide the supplies. And, and so having, you know, somebody else to talk to of, like, this is what I have going with me, what am I missing? And then kind of the next step is, like, I'm settled in at school, what should I be doing? And so our mentors are just a fabulous resource for our students to instill a little bit more confidence. The idea of, like, I look like you, I share a similar story. And, like, you belong in the industry, and we're here to support you throughout that. And then the last pillar is career development support. So linking our students with internship and full time job opportunities. And even beyond that, just connections in the industry. This year, it's fun. We have a new system where we're kind of gamifying it a little bit, where students will get points for their mentor meetings and for taking online learning modules at their own pace in this learning management system that we have. And it could be everything from the art of negotiation, maximizing your LinkedIn profile, personal branding, mock interviews, you know, stuff like that, all related to career, some tech focus, some not. So they get points, and the students with the most points will be the ones that get to come in person to our large summits that High Tech Global puts on. So super excited about that. And yeah, I mean, I just have the amazing opportunity to make people's day by telling them they get a scholarship and is not my money, but I mean, they earned it and finding ways to help them. And it's just something I love to do. I, one congratulations, congratulations on the on the position on the work. One thing that I just in listening to you and learning more about High Tech, the High Tech Foundation, I love because I think there are a lot of the, you know, I'm grateful to all of the organizations and folks working in the nonprofit industry. I have served on a couple of boards and worked in nonprofit while I was a college student and so I'm familiar with the work and the space. But to see an organization that is, you know, not only providing the scholarships, but then coming back and the money's great. Everybody, right, especially, you know, our first gen students, students that are, you know, struggling just to, because, you know, the costs add up real quick. And then to have, but then to come in and say, hey, let's connect you to a mentor. Let's get you that support, right? Because I know certainly it sounds like, you know, I think both you and I can agree, you probably wouldn't be here without a lot of mentoring, with a lot of folks looking out for us, right? And then that third piece, right, the, the, the, just the development, the professional development piece, the career development piece. I know for me, I think I got some of that, but it was all always piecemeal and it was kind of like, oh yeah, hey, don't forget to do this. It was never really anything formal that, that I tapped into. And I think today, like I always try to get my students to, to connect, whether it's with our career center on campus or just other resources. But it's just such a valuable piece about teaching us how to be in those spaces where maybe we don't see a lot of people ourselves. It is just so critical. So I appreciate that you all are doing these three, right? And really bringing these three pieces together. So congratulations. It's something you talked about there. Like the idea of we wish that we had it. I say all of the time, I, what I provide is exactly what I needed to get through school. I had scholarships, multiple scholarships in order to pay for school and still had loans when I graduated. And folks, I'm fine. I'm eating fine now. Like my loans are paid and I survived. I needed mentors and sponsors and individuals that when I wasn't in the room would talk positively about me that they would, you know, if an opportunity came up, and actually, I still remember this. I read books in Spanish at the library when I was at the university, because my professor said Kelly might be interested in that. And I translated well-being cards, like Hallmark cards. I made them in Spanish for an organization. I needed them for their community. And I want to say that there was like 230 of these cards. And some with the sayings that I was like, well, I'm not a native speaker. Is this like a direct translate? I don't know, you know, and I would go to my friend, Patricio, who was from Guadalajara and be like, listen, does this sound right? And he would laugh and he would say, no, you can't say that. Or he would say, holy cow, that's right. And so like to weaning on people that like have strength or skills that you don't have and like not being afraid, like I was, I had no fear being like with send dude, like I'm not the expert here. I'm translating these cards because they needed help. And does this sound right? Like I don't want them to get a sympathy card and they're mad because I said it wrong. And then what else? The other thing that you said, like even career development sport, I went to my career center once. And like, I cannot believe that I only went once. I checked out resources online. I went to the career fair that they had in person. It was terrifying. And, you know, I beat myself up afterward, like, oh my God, like how could you awkwardly talk to people like that? I think I printed like 30 resumes and I handed out five. I just felt like so defeated after my career fair. Now things are so easy. Like even the career fair that we host, it's virtual. And so they could be dressed up on top and not on bottom and I have no clue. They could choose to have their camera off while it's not like recommended, you can. And just kind of the idea of like, maybe you're a fidgeter or maybe, you know, you're super nervous. So you have a stress ball, but like, you could have it in your other hand and they don't need to know. But not to discount that it's still difficult. But there are so many resources available that I wish I had taken advantage of them then. And so I say to my students, I'm living the same story as you. And the only advice that I would give is say yes to it all. If an individual wants to support you and mentor you or guide you, like, you will spend unnecessary time wondering like, why would they want to do this when really it could just be they're a really good human or they had an experience that led them to want to support you. And so, yeah, I have a tendency, I say yes to everything. You know, I will overbook my calendar, even especially when it comes to helping high tech scholars, old students, stemminists from calculated genius, if they write me on my book a time on my calendar, because I think for me, what I have found there are individuals in my life that will champion and cheerlead for me when I need it most. And like, how easy is that to be that to someone else? Like if they post they got a promotion or a job change on LinkedIn, it takes two seconds out of my day to say congratulations. So happy for you or wow, they're lucky. But it makes such an impact. And like the people that do it for me, I'm like, oh my God, like, you know, they, they wrote me a message or they took the time to celebrate me. And so I would also say that, you know, while we're all on this journey, is to think about how you can be a cheerleader and a supporter to others, because there's definite times when you need it. And you'll find it comes a lot easier your way when you are also doing that for others. Well, I couldn't agree more. Kelly, I want to be mindful of your time because I know you're busy. You've probably got a meeting after this. So as we head out, as we transition out, what final piece of advice would you like to leave our listeners with? So I would just say to be authentically you and whatever that looks like and to spend time, like we had talked about earlier, of reflecting what it is that you're good at. And we all bring so many strengths and skills to the table. And there's a career in all of them, I will tell you that. And if you want, you know, to have like an exploratory talk through like the art of what's possible, I would love to offer that to any of your listeners. And welcome them to connect with me on LinkedIn or to send me an email. And, you know, I'd be happy to connect, especially if it's a student who's getting ready to go into school. High school students through college students can receive support from the high tech foundation, even those that are not Hispanic can be a part of the network and take advantage of career resources and get additional support. And I think for me, it is to happen to your network, be authentically you and be bold when it feels uncomfortable, you're probably doing something right. Oh, I love that. I love that. When it feels uncomfortable, you're probably doing something right. Kelly, thank you. Thank you for your story. Thank you for so much wisdom. There are so many great tips. I appreciate it. I know, I know our listeners will appreciate it, all of it. And I'll be sure to share your contact info when I post the recording. Thank you again. Yeah, no, thank you. This concludes another episode, The Way to College podcast. Thank you for listening. Thank you for tuning in. Please remember to follow, share, subscribe, all of that good stuff. And do me the favor of sharing the podcast with one other person. I'd appreciate it. Thank you. And we'll talk again soon. Bye bye. Thanks so much. Bye.