What does education and workplace success mean to you?
As a lifelong learner, education and workplace success to me means that all children, regardless of their individual circumstances, are allowed to go to school and to receive a quality education. I believe that in order to have a world without poverty, education needs to come first and is essential for the global economy.
How has working at your organization helped you define your own version of success?
Working with Friends of Puerto Rico has allowed me and my team to work with high-risk communities in implementing a tailored approach to providing desperately-needed resources. These resources vary from the basics, such as books, to wi-fi access, technology, computers, and sometimes healthy lunches that allow students to concentrate and to learn better. One of the projects that stands out in my mind for its success was delivering books to the public school of Jose de Diego in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. A group of 30 kids that are from the “Maria Generation,” Hurricane Maria survivors facing serious hardships, received books after their school had been closed due to budget cuts. I’ll never forget the faces of these children. They were so grateful for the books, and their faces reflected the joy of knowing that there was a group like Friends of Puerto Rico who cared about them.
Why do you think learning is so powerful in helping people achieve success?
Learning is the key to allowing communities to overcome poverty and to reach prosperity. It has the power to take someone from darkness to light in defining and achieving their own success. We have first-hand experience observing Puerto Rican students’ desire to learn beyond the classroom, which is why we continue to provide grants and resources that will allow them to develop the skills they will need to become the next generation of leaders.
What is your favorite quote or song that keeps you motivated to achieve success?
Something that recharges me is reading quotes. It’s very hard for me to choose only one, and I want to share some of my favorites:
- "It is not necessary to do extraordinary things to get extraordinary results." — Warren Buffett
- “Don’t be the girl who fell. Be the girl who got back up.” — Jenette Stanley
- “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” — Winston Curchill
- “Small acts, when multiplied by many people, can transform the world” — Howard Zinn
What helps you when you hit a bump on your journey to success?
When I hit a bump in my journey, I remember that we are doing something that is bigger than ourselves. It won’t come easy, but we are building the base for generations to come to have the equity and access to education that they deserve.
Who would you like to thank for helping you along your journey to success?
I’ve been blessed to have many people helping me. Among them, I want to highlight my most trusted advisor, my mother Maria Roman, and Ana-Mita Betancourt, who has been a mentor and a sponsor. Both continue not only to inspire, but also to provide the critical advice needed to ignite social change.
About My Success
Success is as unique as a fingerprint—and so is the journey to achieve it. The My Success campaign was created to provide a community of support, stories and resources for lifelong learning, to encourage and inspire individuals navigating their journey to find success. Join our community of support and share your story of success by using #MyStoryMySuccess or visiting mysuccess.act.org.
About ACT
ACT is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people achieve education and workplace success. Headquartered in Iowa City, Iowa, ACT is trusted as a leader in college and career readiness, providing high-quality assessments grounded in nearly 60 years of research. ACT offers a uniquely integrated set of solutions designed to provide personalized insights that help individuals succeed from elementary school through career.
About Friends of Puerto Rico
Friends of Puerto Rico is a non-partisan, non-profit 501(c)(3) social impact organization based in Washington, DC with the mission of mobilizing a network of partners to create an economic and innovation hub in Puerto Rico by investing in the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs.
Since our beginning in 2015, we have served as an intermediary to provide direct financial support to nonprofit organizations in Puerto Rico. In three years, we have created a network of over 30,000 donors and have over 50 partner organizations.
Interested in this blog? Read more:
- Join the My Success Campaign
- Giving Tuesday: The Importance of Helping Others
- AVID CEO Sandy Husk Shares Her Story of Success
