Why I Joined the You Can’t Fail, Inc. Movement
Have you ever looked around the room and very quickly realized that you are “The First” or “The Only”?
As an immigrant from Central America who grew up in the nineties in Upstate New York (an area with growing diversity but lower levels of social integration), I certainly have. Like many of you who might be reading this, I’ve had to push the discomfort and uncertainty that comes along with being what Gwen, Inc. has coined, “The Unexpected Leader”: the only person of one’s age/gender/ethnicity to occupy or share a particular space.
Although my parents came to the U.S. as seasoned professionals, upon their arrival to this new land and without a friend or relative in a near-5,000 mile radius, they felt like they were starting from scratch. Well aware of our limitations during the first decade after our arrival, I studied very hard in school and volunteered in various leadership opportunities; my goal was to win a merit scholarship to relieve my parents of the burden of financing my college degree.
I succeeded in this, and my determination opened the door to many other opportunities. It also placed me in a position where I was often the only young, immigrant, bi-cultural, bilingual, female of color in a room. And, what do most of us do when we are dealt with a less-than-ideal set of cards? We do our best to keep others from getting the same ones. After college, I started down a career path forged with a passion for sharing resources, opportunities, and leadership spaces with others. I wanted to do my part in helping to minimize how often other young Latinos would find themselves as “The Only.”
For several years, I managed the NCLR Líderes youth leadership program and National Summit for high school and college students in Washington, D.C., and in doing so, met many young Latinas who also were “The Only”— and often, “The First.” Because of my own journey up to that point, it meant the world to me to get to work alongside of them and support their advancement and growth. To have the chance to share my encouragement, understanding, and validation of the experiences and challenges they encountered as leaders in their respective communities was such a privilege. Although our ages were different, our shared missions bonded us so strongly that to this day, we still check in to support each other’s efforts to reach the goals we’ve set out to achieve.
But I know that’s not enough. Not for those young ladies, nor for the women leaders that I’ve met and bonded with here in Syracuse since my return. Soon after I moved back, I began working with the #WISELatina Conference team, and through them, met many bold female entrepreneurs who have had to walk in the shoes of The Unexpected Leader. Because we live in a city that recently ranked as the highest in concentrated poverty for Latinos and African Americans, I’m often in the presence of other women that have trekked that journey. But, the professional development customized to meet the needs of walking our unique paths is limited. Not only that, but as caring leaders, because we are often encouraging and helping open doors for others, we tend to take less time to do so for ourselves. Commendable hearts bear the side effects of fatigue, resentment, and isolation when their sacrifice goes unchecked.
But it doesn’t have to be that way, and that’s why I joined You Can’t Fail, Inc. Its conferences offer the caliber of support offered by a national network to emerging and established local leaders. They also offer the soul-encouragement that so many of us could genuinely benefit from. Ultimately, You Can’t Fail, Inc. works to prevent women from having to navigate the complexities that accompany female minority leadership on their own. And I believe that soon, it will begin to offer these opportunities nationally too, becoming a network that even my former students will be able to benefit from. That’s why I joined the movement.
Last year, I attended the You Can’t Fail, Inc. Conference as a guest of CNY Latino. Today, I have the privilege of serving on its Inaugural Board, and tonight, we will be hosting our first fundraiser for the organization at The Krebs in Skaneateles and I’m beyond excited to be a part of it. Our vision is big, but so is our strength, and our motivation. If you too, are an Unexpected Leader, or feel called to support those who are, I urge you to learn more about it here, and if you can, join us tomorrow for this “Happy Hour with a Higher Vision.” As always, if you’d like to connect with me personally to follow up, please reach out! You can find me at Connect@BericaAgency.com. I hope to hear from you.
