In celebration of the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation’s 70th Anniversary, UnidosNow s one of seven organizations selected to receive a $5,000 grant in honor of a Selby Scholar. This special award is made possible by Juan Perea who wrote the essay below about the impact of UnidosNow on his life.
The moment I mentioned I wanted to go to college, I was called insane. I started to believe that it really was not an option, but that changed when I joined UnidosNow’s Future Leaders Academy (FLA). Reading Carol Dweck’s Mindset showed me there are two ways to see yourself: fixed or growing. UnidosNow helped me move from the first to the second.
When I moved to the United States, I did not know any English. As a result, I was surrounded by different kinds of people. Unfortunately, the closest ones to me believed that we moved to this country for only two reasons: work hard physically and live paycheck to paycheck. They did not seem to even think about learning the language; for instance, college was not even in their wildest thoughts. It did not take that long for me to adopt this fixed mindset, and during this period, every time I heard the word “college,” my brain felt like shutting down.
My switch of mindset did not happen until my junior year when I met Yamir and Christian. They were the ones who told me about the Future Leaders Academy at UnidosNow and explained everything I needed to know. I applied, and when I was accepted, I feared that I was not enough for this program and wanted to quit, but somehow, I felt empowered. Getting accepted to this program meant a lot to me, so I continued, and for the first time, I believed I was more than an insane kid. During one FLA meeting, they introduced the Japanese term Ikigai. The meaning of this word froze my world for a second and gave my life a 180-degree change. I was eager to find my purpose in life. That summer, Yamir and Christian took us to the University of Central Florida (UCF). My family and I were amazed by UCF; entering the engineering building gave me goosebumps and made me set a new goal, becoming an engineer at UCF.
During the program, I met Gina, my coach. Her empathy made me connect with her instantly; she understood all the challenges I was facing. Gina pushed me to think even further. She never gave me a lesson on resilience, but one thing I learned from her is that when things do not work out because of my barriers, such as immigration barriers, I just move on and look at another option. If these situations had happened during my fixed mindset, I would have said, “I can’t.”
FLA also introduced me to many valuable people, including Susie Bowie, CEO of the Selby Foundation. She showed me how philanthropy creates opportunity. My mentor Steve Dawson, CEO of Harmar Mobility, walked me through the factory and made engineering feel real. And Carlos Peña, an electrical engineer, explained his day-to-day and helped me picture my path.
Because of UnidosNow, I am working towards my dream of going to college and becoming an engineer at UCF. Thanks to the FLA program, I am not doing this alone; I am supported by the Selby Foundation. During this program, I had mentors who guided me, coaches who taught me, and organizations that invested in me. UnidosNow did not just change my mindset; it changed what I believe is possible. And now, every step I take is proof that what once felt impossible is now within my reach, and I am dedicated to inspiring others just as they inspired me.