Speak the vision
In my first days of starting Piñata Possible, I had a personal goal of telling at least one person per day about it.
What I wanted most was to create a place…a practice…and a platform where leaders could step into unprecedented possibility by unlocking the infinite power they hold within.
I thought that if I could create a daily practice of vocalizing my dream and sharing it with as many others as I could, then my dream would have a better chance of becoming reality.
One of those people, on one of those days, was Henry Gonzalez.
“I have someone you need to meet,” he told me, and within the week, he introduced me to Nikki Graham Spector at the Hector and Gloria López Foundation.
Nikki and I had lunch, and before long, she introduced me to her colleague, Lucy Mendez.
That beautiful connection turned into an invitation for me to be a facilitator at the Foundation’s annual leadership summit for the López Scholars–a cohort of incredible student leaders, all of whom identify as Latinx, and all of whom are the first in their family to attend college.
The opportunity to facilitate at the HGLF Summit last year turned into an invitation for a longer-term collaboration with the Foundation to design an anchoring framework for all López Scholar leadership development. We wrapped up that work earlier this spring and had the opportunity to weave it into the design of this year’s leadership summit and support of university partners as well.
Returning to the summit last week was a dream come true. I shared conversations with so many scholars, whose stories reminded me of the infinite power we hold within and the resilience we possess to overcome any challenge. I also met so many wonderful fellow speakers and facilitators–many of whom are legends in their fields.
I left last week’s summit more grounded than ever in my belief that when we have the courage to declare and share our dreams, we can truly bring them forward into existence. Each time we tell our stories, we open the door to powerful possibilities, powerful partnerships, and unprecedented pathways.
Partnering with the Hector and Gloria López Foundation has been so joyful and so aligned to the values and dreams I hold core to Piñata Possible. It’s been such an honor to support the López Scholars on their leadership journeys, and I know their futures are filled with limitless possibilities.
Special thank you to the team at the HGLF. Your work is fueling a legacy of leadership, and I thank you for the opportunity you’ve given me to be part of it.
And to Henry Gonzalez...thank you for listening to me that day when I first shared my dream of Piñata Possible with you. This story is evidence of that dream now being real.
May we all have the courage to speak our dreams into existence.
