0:00 Welcome to Advance the Dream, our weekly community chat, where we celebrate legacy makers and family heroes who are actively advancing the dream in the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We talk about health, challenges, highlights and heroes in an intergenerational fashion in hopes that his legacy of hope and equality continue to live on. This weekly series, powered by the Force for Health Network, is aired live on Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn at eight a.m. Pacific Time, eleven a.m. Eastern Standard Time.
0:30 Then shared afterwards at advancedthedream.com. Now, let's meet our hosts, Force for Health Network co-founders, Dr. Robert Giglio and Lucy Howell, alongside our national director, Joshua Williams Jr., as we dive into this week's topic. Welcome, everybody. Today is March, and it is another episode of Advance the Dream, where we come together on a weekly basis for a interactive community chat to talk about heroes, highlights, issues and challenges, all in the spirit of the late and honored Dr. Martin Luther King in an effort to expand his legacy in an effort to continue the transfer of knowledge from the seniors down to the youth and in an effort basically to help us all be more culturally empathetic and accepting and understanding the differences when it comes to health and wealth disparities in the United States.
1:32 I'm joined here by my partner, Dr. Robert Gillio out of Pennsylvania, not Jillio, Dr. Gillio, Dr. Robert Gillio out of Pennsylvania, and our national coach and executive director for Advance the Dream Project, Dr. Joshua Williams. mba right uh yeah joshua williams anyways um and I think josh you are down in new orleans I believe this weekend correct yesterday I'm in the crescent city of new orleans exactly and tell us what you're doing down there we're actually attending a health fair that's being sponsored by dillard university um in New Orleans.
2:18 They have approximately forty-nine vendors here today, this morning. We've actually been setting up since about eight o'clock this morning, seven o'clock Eastern time. But we've pretty much got everything going now and we're expecting a huge turnout today. The weather is nice, so we're expecting a very huge turnout today. Now Dillard is an official HBCU, is it not? Yes. And remind everybody what an HBCU is. and historical black colleges and universities. HBCUs were founded in this country with the preference of trying to actually bring about education to blacks who were struggling to get that back right before the Civil Rights Movement.
3:10 HBCUs played a very important part in bridging the gap for education for students of color. As we may say right now, we have one hundred and six of those historical black colleges and universities still active today across the country. And we are very excited to continue to to assist them with bringing forth, of course, legendary leaders for tomorrow. Well, and you are a not only an alumni, you're an alumni of Dillard, right? A life member, yes. Exactly. And then didn't you recently serve as their Director of Alumni Relations or what was your official title?
3:58 I actually served as the National President of the Alumni Association. That's right. That's right. And let's talk about that for a moment. You know, in that role, what were the things that you were, what kept you up at night? What was your focus in that role? basically trying to provide needed assistance to the university. So conversations with, of course, the president and vice presidents were necessary to actually, they realized that alumni is the heartbeat of the organization. And they realized that that support is very much needed.
4:37 So I was that vehicle of trying to bridge that gap between the university and our alumni. And of course, you try to keep an open mind with doing that, but it was very challenging at times because people have the wrong interpretation of the role of alumni. And a lot of people think that it's only finances, but you couldn't be much wronger. Much wrong than that, because it's much more than that. It's actually the ability for you to align yourself and be a positive contributor to that university, whether it's recommending a student for enrollment, whether it's helping out a student with something to eat while he's at school and starving.
5:29 Alumni play so many different roles and could impact the university and its success in so many different ways. I think oftentimes people think, oh, I'm not big bank Hank yet, so my dollars don't matter. And unless I can write a five thousand dollar check, then I really have no role in you know, supporting my alumni position or status. But you talked about that, right? The percentage of one of the goals that you really wanted to do is increase the participatory percentage per capita. Yeah. And regardless of the campaign, Lucy, that actually allowed us to say, OK, we don't care how much you get.
6:14 We just want you to give something. Because once again, when you look at the Kresge Foundation and all these different foundations who are giving money to universities to support this effort of getting alumni involved, they want to see those numbers. They want to know how many people did you reach out, how many people that went to your institution are giving that. So I was very happy to say that we had put I think it was for one day we did a hundred thousand dollar goal in one day of going. And I think we exceeded that goal by one hundred and forty seven thousand dollars.
6:48 So we were very easy what we were actually putting on the map and getting done. But there's a lot more work that needs to be done as it relates to supporting these institutions. You know, something that you remind me of, I have my kids did not go to an HBCU. And when they finished school, a lot of them had some college debt. And it becomes a real challenge to ask people to donate when they still have tens of thousands of dollars of tuition money they're paying back. So it becomes getting the message across that opportunity was provided because the institution was there.
7:27 And the fact that they got the tuition support was different. I'd like to mention a different mechanism of alumni support, though, Josh, that you and Lucy have been touching on with your legacy project. And that is specifically when my daughter Sophia graduated from Penn State University, she had half a million alumni she could reach out to, and it helped her get advice on her career. It helped her find an internship. And it helped her get assimilated when she moved to the New York region. So there's ways alumni can give specifically to students that are at school or recent helping mentor younger alumni.
8:09 And it reminds me of that, that mentorship, that wisdom, even if you don't have a lot of money, you can pass that wealth down into a student and create a better college experience for that student. And that student is, in part can benefit from that mentor. And that's what kind of that slide Lucy just had up reminds me of along those lines of who's mentored us along the way or who do we admire? There's a nice template that you're using with multi-generational teams of students working where the teenagers are teaching the seniors technology and the seniors are teaching the students, the teenagers wisdom, life skills.
8:57 Of doing Advance the Dream, they're advancing the capabilities of a historical knowledge, a cultural knowledge of wealth, of that knowledge, as well as the technology skills for some of those seniors to deal with advancing their own health literacy, their own access to care and services. You wanna speak a little bit to that, what you do with that multi-generational work in Advance the Dream? Hey, look here, we were glad to implement a piece where we can utilize our senior learners as well as our young learners working together on a project.
9:32 And this piece, Living Legacy piece that Lucy really was instrumental in actually pulling this together, it actually encompasses the family to work together more vigorously now, trying to create that legacy of history there that is not necessarily left by people of color. We don't have authors, book writers, and stuff coming out of our family like talking about it. So no one is recording history. And that's one thing I found out of my own history was that no one once this generation leaves no one is there to talk about what used to be so creating this legacy piece I think is a great start to actually uh getting kids and parents and adults to work together to understand each other and understand that legacy of history that is so missed in our communities One of my most favorite things about your team, your STEAM teams that you've been working with and piloting with us over the last year and a half, two years, is this multi-generational
10:52 Concept that you talked about. And we've got one of your guests here in studio, Queen Williams, which I just love her to death on so many different reasons, but we'll kind of save it for the interview. Do you want to go ahead and introduce Queen quickly, and then we'll bring her up to the stage? Yes. For someone who really doesn't need any introduction, we are so glad and honored to have Queen Williams to participate with us as it relates to her involvement in our process. We kicked off a Fifty-Four Mile Challenge, which we'll talk about during the interview with her, but she actually stepped up.
11:35 And actually surpassed us who started before her, and she has now completed her fifty-four mile journey of the Selma March. So we're just so pleased that she is this committed senior of ours, and whatever we need her to do to participate in, to further the knowledge of our people, she is there to do that. Queen Williams all the way from Jacksonville, Florida, my auntie. Good morning. Good morning. Hi, Queen. How are you? It's great to see you again. I am fine. Thank you. It's good to see you as well.
12:17 I love any time a senior force team member can come in and kind of trounce the performance of the youngins, right? I remember the very, very first hundred thousand step challenge that we did. to put a little bit of context around it, the You Do Matter STEAM team is a multi-generational team that Josh hosts on Saturday mornings. And so there are ten-year-old, twelve-year-olds, eighteen-year-olds, twenty-four-year-olds, forty-year-olds and, you know, seventy-plus-year-olds in here. And it started really as an extended family kind of connection time period to really come together and support this intergenerational exchange.
13:03 Of course, we want to open the pathways for the youth and make sure they have access to the resources and the opportunities in the STEAM space. And we're going to talk to Kira Robinson, I think, a little bit later, who has been able to take advantage of and be a beneficiary of that program for the last ten, twelve years. But it's also an opportunity for the seniors to come in and connect. And, you know, sometimes maybe just that tiny, tiny, tiniest little bit of hand-holding to connect into the digital inclusion space, right?
13:38 The apps. Maybe just as a standalone, it's something that would never have happened because I know my dad, he's the last one that wants to admit that he needs help. And maybe it was just a beautiful thing to see the teens and the younger kids facilitate and help. seniors in that particular session on no you know grandma or auntie you know go ahead and just download this and help because once once that connection is made then magic happens right and so what the part of the magic that happened was we instantly created a hundred thousand step challenge our uh ambassador app, our ambassador programs include a full wellness program.
14:27 So you've got like nutrition tracking and you've got step counting. And so everybody was in an automatic virtual step challenge. And the youngins were kind of like, hey, you know, I'm going to take this. I'm going to take this. Well, Queen, you know, you were done and out of that challenge in like three days, right? Everybody else took like weeks to get through. No, Ms. Williams, one of the advantages of being there when Lucy turned on the challenge is I was one of the first ones in it. So within minutes, I went out for my first walk.
15:07 And so for a few hours, I was on the leaderboard, actually a couple days. And I took screenshots because it would never happen again. The point I want to make, though, is your mentorship of young people, and not just with knowledge but with action, is also important not just across generations but across ethnicities and across geographies. So I'm participating in this advanced, the dream, fifty-four mile, uh, Selma March, in part because you have motivated me that I'm can, I can walk fifty-four miles.
15:47 I'm getting ready for some, some, uh, my third major surgery in a year, uh, with some orthopedic problems, but you're motivating me. I'm using this walk as part of it, but part of it is why would people walk fifty-four miles? in an adverse environment. And putting the content together behind that walk and having the wisdom of Josh's father's generation or your parents' generation or your memories brought to that really helps me to understand and better communicate as a grandfather to my kids and my grandkids what happened when I was younger.
16:33 So thank you. It's not just cross-generational. It's cross-racial. It's cross-locational. And so, Queen, what does it mean when you go back? So two things. First of all, I'd love to kind of get your feedback on what it's meant to you to be participating in this multi-generational project that Josh has been putting out. And I don't know, not to put you on the spot, I don't know what comes to mind. the end of when the Selma March was, I learned that there were components of it, right? So if you want to speak to any thoughts on, you know, what you remember about that, but let's take it one at a time.
17:14 First of all, you know, what has it meant to connect and participate with, you know, the You Do Matter over the years with Josh? Well, when Josh brought up the idea, I said, well, you know, it would be something interesting to do. And I've always liked to challenge. So when I said, well, we're going to do a hundred step walk, I said, Josh, do you think you can handle that? You know, I'm still here. You know, I'm in my seventies, but I'm still here. So he said, oh yeah, auntie, I can beat you. I can beat you.
17:58 No, you can't. No, you can't. Yeah, I love this. The competitive spirit never goes away. Absolutely. I've always been competitive. And because it's important for us as individuals to get up and walk is very important because I'll be seventy five next week. But what I want people to understand is when I move and I'm outside and in the air, it it makes me feel good. And the more I walk, the better I feel. And once I get to a certain point, you hear people say you get your second win. Well, once I walked the three miles, then I hit that stride and I get my second wind.
18:50 And when I get that second wind, it's like I'm floating. And so I just walk. And I'm walking and I'm thankful because there's so many people that aren't able to walk. There's so many people that even young people, they aren't able to walk. And so I am very grateful that I still can walk and I cannot walk my nephew. Do you walk by yourself or how? Give us an insight into your day. OK, what I do is I try when I get up, I get myself together and I walk out the door. And I walk the long way out. And so I walk two miles out and then I turn a corner and I come back home.
19:44 So by the time I get home, I've done four miles. And when you're out there walking, one day I was walking and there was this guy and he was in a wheelchair and he had his legs crossed and he was just going. He had his automatic wheelchair and he was just going. And I said to myself, now, you know, if this man can get out here and try to get some exercise, why shouldn't anybody be able to do it? That's just the way it is. And the march to Selma, when I was a little girl, Martin Luther King would come down to Jacksonville and St.
20:26 Augustine and he would do his marches. And I didn't really understand the significance of what was going on at the time. But I went downtown Jacksonville and I was not allowed to drink from a certain faucet downtown at the park. And I couldn't understand that because I thought, well, the water looks the same. Why can't I have this one? And then my mother tried to explain it to me and I said, oh, okay. And then I went into Woolworth and I couldn't sit at the counter. And my mother said, well, you know, just go in and order what you need and then you come out.
21:15 Oh, well, why? I didn't understand that. But as I grew older, then I understood that there were certain things that needed to change and that if it was going to change, we had to be a part of the change. And so that was why it was so important for me to walk. Now, if I'm walking for a purpose, that's wonderful. If I'm walking for my health, that's even better. So I feel very, very blessed to be able to remember the stuff that has happened in the past and now to be able to be a part of it. in whatever way I can, whether it's to work the polls, which I do.
22:08 Awesome. And when there's something that's really important that's going on, I try and make sure that the young people understand what it is and how it will affect them. And once you do that, even if you only reach one person, It's very important. And I went, I used to go out and get people signed up to vote. And this one young man, he said, I said, are you registered to vote? And he said, no. And I said, you're not going to vote? And he says, no. And I said, why? He said, my vote doesn't count anyway.
22:54 And I said, wait a minute. Do you understand what you're saying? And he said, well, I said, do you have any children? He said, yes. He says, I have a three-year-old. I said, do you understand that your three-year-old is depending on what you do? And he said, well, I said, some elections are won by just hundreds of votes. So your one vote definitely counts. And so he decided to sign up and it made me feel better that the young people are starting to understand more and to do more because we're going to die out soon.
23:38 And once we're gone, what happens then? And what you're saying is like the foundation of why we're working so intently with Josh, even if it's that dotted line tied to you know, the Alpha Phi Alpha legacy and almost the obligation of like, how do we make sure that these young kids know that people like you are still walking around that had that type of injustice to them without being questioned? You know, that was reality. And I see Kira, you know, backstage and we'll pull her on and Again, the magic of what we're trying to do with this show is to have this, you know, Rob's a white guy in Pennsylvania, I'm a brown skin Filipino mix in, you know, Arizona, and we've got some African-American families.
24:28 It's to have this multigenerational and multiracial conversation. about why it's so important. Before I bring Kira on, you know, one of the things I wanted to ask you, I know my dad gets so much social benefit from walking because basically he does it every day and he gets to, you know, I have dinner with him every week and he tells me about all the people he meets and it's just wonderful. I love that social aspect of the simple movement of walking. Do you feel the same thing? Do you get out and see neighbors or?
24:58 Oh, yes. uh I I I the same people it's usually the same people every day you you walk by and they say well you you're walking again today I should go walk with you yes you should but you won't so we we don't even have to discuss it and then and then I see people that are young and they they're running by me and and they're hey mama hey mama I say, hey, baby, how you doing? And then they'll stop and they'll jog along and they're talking. And it's good to be able to relate to people and young people, old people, and to find out how their day is going.
25:45 And it makes your day go even better. Because if you walk up to a smile, you can't do anything but smile. And you are always that smiling, uh, energetic rabbit. Whenever I meet you, I mean, you are just like this burst of energy is, you know, is there something that you think, uh, like what's your message? I mean, we're going to bring Kira up here shortly, but what's your message to the youth right now? Is there something that you feel just compelled to want to share with the upcoming generation of leaders?
26:19 Well, um, The thing that I'd like to share with them is just to let them know that they are important. We see them. And what they need to understand is that what really matters in life is not what you buy, but what you build. And it's not what you got, but what you share. It's not our success, but our significance. And there's nothing more significant than helping a child to receive a second chance in life. That's it. I love that. I mean, I don't know if you have to go anywhere. We would love for you to linger and listen to Kira as we talk about her.
27:05 And then perhaps towards the end, we could have this, bring everybody on and be able to exchange. But if you do have to go, do you have to go or can you hang around a little bit? I can hang around a little bit. OK, that's wonderful. So we're going to go ahead and move on to our collegiate perspectives. Thank you so much. I mean, this needs to really be a much longer show. These fifteen, twenty minute segments of these really special guests goes way too fast, especially with Rob and I teeing up questions and comments and taking up all this.
27:36 But everything you said was awesome. And the fact that we're recording and can pull out the tidbits and get some of your pearls of wisdom out there is wonderful. So, Queen, I'm going to always call you Queen, okay? Well, that's my name. Vicki Williams, right? Queen, it's so good to see you. Josh, you want to go ahead and so stay backstage and then we'll pull you on in about eight minutes, okay? Okay. Okay, awesome. Thank you so much, Queen. All righty. You're welcome. Josh, do you want to go ahead and introduce Kara?
28:06 Yeah. Oops, let's pull you on the stage, my bad. Yeah, OK, thank you. Our next is our, you know, once again, we talked about the possibility of bringing our kids to the forefront as it relates to bringing our elders as well. Today, we have a young lady with us who has has really uh a a a trailblazer already and now she's just a freshman uh just leaving out of new orleans uh we are familiar with her mom miss danielle robertson um I've been knowing kerry since she's been a baby before she started walking so uh uh we're glad to have her and to see her uh elevate to the level in which she has elevated is absolutely remarkable.
28:51 She's at Villanova University. She's a freshman there and also a Posse scholarship. And, you know, I'm not going to brag on her too much. I'll let her talk a little bit about herself. But one thing that I thought was very interesting, she just came back from a trip to Panama. And I know we're going to ask some questions about that as well and have her to share some of the experiences with us about that trip. Before I do, we want to introduce Ms. Robinson. Hi, Kira. How are you? Uh-oh. Let's see. Hold on.
29:34 I'm not hearing your sound. I'm not hearing you, Kira. Give us one second. Let's see if we can get sound going on there. You may, you may, may, may need to leave and come back in and then just make sure you turn the microphone on when you come back in. Do you want to try that? Okay, go ahead and try that. And then we'll, we'll be here and we'll, let's bring Queen back on in the interim. because of course there's so much more to talk about. Where do you live, Queen? I live in Jacksonville, Florida.
30:23 OK, got it. And so weather is kind of like Arizona. So it's not really a barrier to getting outside and moving, right? No. It usually averages between forty and seventy here in Jacksonville in the mornings. That's what it is. And I usually don't walk if it's under forty because the doctor says it's not good for my heart. Forty degrees. Well, Mine's like sixty eight, I believe, is my cold point. And I'm not even going to talk to Rob. That's the high temperature up here most of the time. What can I say?
31:04 Kira, you're back. Can we hear you say something? Can you hear me? Yes. That'd be awesome. I'm going to send you backstage and then we'll bring you up here in a second. And then, Kira, I'm wondering if you can turn your phone sideways because it would. Oh, no? Okay, if not, no worries, because sometimes that works, but that's okay. It's unlocked. But, Kira, this is the first time I have ever not heard you. I've been at a couple of the events in the past, and you always were one that I viewed as a leader.
31:37 When Josh was trying to organize things, you had a way of just kind of saying, hey, guys, come on, let's go over here and let's do this. Or Josh would say, Kira, go show him how to do that. So this was the first time. I've only met you, I think, two times in the past, briefly. But this is the first time for me that I couldn't hear you. And I guess it's because of the microphone. Welcome to Pennsylvania, Villanova University. You're just down the road from me about two hours via Amtrak. Really?
32:08 We should get lunch sometime. I'd love it. And I'd even pay. And then I'd have Josh reimburse me. I'd love that. I'm in State College, Pennsylvania. You get on the Amtrak going west. I'll meet you in Harrisburg or something. We'd have some fun. But welcome. Why did you choose to come to Villanova? Actually, it was an opportunity given to me through Posse. I hadn't even heard of Villanova or many of the other colleges that Posse offers to kids like us, kids that would normally be overlooked in the admissions process.
32:47 So that's how I was introduced to Villanova, but it ultimately became my choice after looking at what they have to offer students, all students that come through their doors and the values that they carry, Veritas, communitized and characterized in those three. And it also being a Catholic university, I just really appreciate the value that they try to instill within their students. Now, I was raised Catholic, but my Latin is not good enough. So what are those three characteristics? And did any of those criteria match some of the things Josh's programs tried to instill in you when you were younger?
33:33 Yes. One in particular is Caritas, you know, means community, reaching out and just taking care of the people that surround you. And, you know, always looking back for the people that you wouldn't necessarily leave behind, but that didn't follow the same path as you. So just looking behind you, seeing what you can always give back to the next person, I think embodies is embodied in both organizations. That's beautiful. What were the two other terms? Veritas. Which is? I know what it is. Veritas is like unity, like all types of unity, accepting, even though it is a Catholic university, they have non-Catholics.
34:26 Jewish, like all different faiths, but they still appreciate every single faith and they still host things that celebrate them. Although it's not one of the values that they embody themselves that is in the foundation. And what was the third one? Caritas, veritas, and unitas. Like love, the spread of love. That one was just a general. I took Latin back in eighth grade. I thought every eighth grader should take Latin because it will just help, I think, so much. Although I would have thought Veritas had something to do with truth.
35:05 But let's go to how long have you been with Josh on this kind of Saturday You Do Matter program? And how do you feel like it's helped perhaps shape and form the opportunity that you now find yourself in? It started around, I would say, freshman year into sophomore year, the COVID gap. That's right. That was when I started with Mr. Josh. And since then, you know, going every Saturday, connecting to people all around the world, it really not necessarily gives you a leg up, but allows you to be more comfortable and uncomfortable situations.
35:50 I feel like Mr. Dash prepares everyone very well to handle situations thrown at them and being able to take advantage of the resources presented to me. Yeah. And that was two thousand. I remember because that was when we were piloting our virtual classrooms with you. So that virtual classroom, that was some of the first years that you were with Josh when we were going through. And do you remember watching some of the health videos or Dr. Rob's insights into Viva the Cell? Or I mean, are those the types of information that you were getting pretty readily at school?
36:34 Reflect back on high school and score it as a health educating resource. Did you get a ton out of school or do you feel like there's opportunities for growth and improvement from your high school experience when it comes to health and kind of civic preparedness? Yes, I think This is a very good question because the topic of this year's Posse retreat is education recalculated. And I think it's a perfect segue to go into the question you just asked. During that COVID year, what we understood to be education has been a complete And I really appreciate that we could incorporate Mr.
37:23 Josh's virtual learning sessions into understanding how AI and just getting the benefits of AI as well as the disadvantages that come with it in relation to education. Yeah. And tell us a little bit about your freshman at Villanova. So it's March. So you're kind of past the fall frenzies of like, oh my gosh, what am I doing here? You're in the spring. You know, how are you acclimating to college life? And what do you want to be? I wrote down engineering and bioengineering. Is it mechanical engineering?
38:05 What are you studying? My major is mechanical engineering with a minor in sustainability design. And I'm looking to pick a different minor, maybe in engineering entrepreneurship. And so if you were to snap your fingers, how do you see yourself in five years? Have you thought through that process of like what kind of job you'd want to have or where you'd like to live or the type of life that you envision for yourself? Yeah, initially I just wanted to, I just wanted to go into the corporate route, just sit in the office, work on some projects.
38:46 But now going to Panama is a student immersion program for engineers and you go and you visit these communities that either like water access to sufficient education or even internet and just throwing yourself into the culture and really putting yourself in a predicament where you have to consider the things that you are blessed to have you consider what other people don't have and how you can help them so I'm really interested in you know humanitarian work you know going out there traveling different countries That's a new segue of mine.
39:29 The engineering side of things, I'm wondering, are your parents engineers or were you exposed to the STEM concepts primarily through things like Josh's program? Yes, actually. Neither one of my parents are engineers. It was just they put me in. numerous programs where you know I participated in stem activities whether it was hardcore sciences you know experiments the volcano experiment everybody does middle school or to coding camps and just putting my foot that foot out there in the stem world that's what you're that you know uh um you know her mom Yes.
40:10 Okay. She's a math wizard. So that's where she, I gotta say this probably where Kara gets a lot of that, that, that engineering part from her mom. But I think, I think from her mom, she also, I was impressed in the early days when we first met about four years ago, Kara, or met virtually at least four years ago, that that was a, your mom was on those calls also oftentimes. And your mom is one who encouraged you to get in front of the camera and get in that classroom and take the risks and go to that coding thing and go to that, you know, those kind of things.
40:49 So I got to give your mom, I'm just jumping generations here, but your mom's generation, she was a pioneer with her math skills. And as a mom and a professional, she was a pioneer in turning you into enabling you to feel comfortable being an engineer. let alone comfortable going to a place like Villanova coming from where you grew up. And so this cross-generational thing, now you're on the screen with, you know, another person of an older generation who had some brilliant words of wisdom, I think, for young people.
41:27 So, you know, congratulations to your parents. But I know if you're looking for a mechanical engineering internship, talk to me because I know of a mechanical engineer Lancaster, Pennsylvania, that might be able to use your skills. Definitely senior email after this. All right. Yes, ma'am. I think that you bring up a good point, Rob, because, you know, on one of our other channels at the Force for Health, we talk about Fit Family Force and really how it is at the core, core of, you know, opening and preparing our youth for the future is what happens at home, you know, first and foremost to ground the character and to be able to help guide.
42:11 I think that that's awesome. But, you know, you mentioned, you know, Kira, your generation You've got Queen's generation and then probably Josh. Well, Rob's probably on the little more side of the boomers as opposed to the Gen X. I mean, I was born in nineteen sixty nine. So our generation of women who I believe your mom is probably part of my generation, we were really the first kind of in the workforce that were not teachers and nurses. You know, probably Queens, if we went back to Queens generation, you know, only one third of the women worked outside the home.
42:50 You know, you come to my generation, Wonder Woman, we could do it all. You know, then two thirds of the women worked outside the home. So your generation really is the first generation of mothers who have had this kind of Wonder Woman mentality where you can go do everything. So it's not like this history book where, oh my gosh, remember when women can vote or we literally just two days ago celebrated the anniversary of women being able to have credit cards without a man signing for them, right?
43:22 And so, you know, my daughter too is a software engineer, brown skin, my husband's African-American you are an African-American woman going into a very, you know, predominantly white space and male space. Do you feel any like a disjustice at all or injustice at all, or do you feel very welcome? I mean, how is it kind of, how's the environment for you? Initially is very much a culture shock. In all honesty, it was, looking at the different walks of life that all the children came from and questioning my preparedness.
44:06 Because this is a very top university. I mean, next to going to Ivy League, this is your next best bet. And it's like, at first it was intimidating because I was, like you said, I'm a minority at the school. So nine times out of ten, I'm the only Black person in my class. That's right. kind of having that anxiety of taking up too much space. But once I got comfortable with my peers and just recognizing that I'm paving the way for other people, the confidence kind of kicked back in. And now I'm not afraid to take up space.
44:45 I want to take up space. I want to be heard. Because of what Queen said earlier, you do matter. And right people, that's what Josh's team is called. You do matter. But what Queen said earlier is, You know, you deserve to be there as much as anybody else. And my daughter, I think that there's an opportunity for you to mentor up maybe just four to five years. Are you connecting with any peer groups at the school that are maybe an African-American study group or, you know, women in tech at least? I mean, women in tech, women in engineering.
45:18 Here at the university, we have women in science and engineering, WISE. Do you have something like that in Villanova? Yes, we have the Society of Women Engineers and a part of that, the NSBE, National Society of Black Engineers, and a part of that as well. And then outside of engineering, there's the Black Student Union. So there's very much a family and a cohort there. You just have to find your people and find people who can take you further. The good thing about not being that many people, because it's still a very minority situation, is that there's not that many people.
45:59 And that when you do connect in with those people, you know everybody who is all trying to be like-minded and help, right? Queen, I'm looking at you smiling. And as we kind of like come to like this, you know, top of the hour here, what's some words of wisdom for Kira? Well, the word, One thing that you should always understand and know that you are where you're supposed to be. And you always acknowledge that and be thankful for it. And when you see someone else besides you who's not quite there, grab them and pull them up with you.
46:40 That's the only way things will make any significant change. That's it. Let's go around. I'm sorry. Go ahead. Keep going. I am so proud of you. So very proud. I thought you'd keep going around the table. I'm popping off to grab something. Rob, what are some final thoughts for Akira as we close out the hour? Well, you know, I'm proud of you, but I'm worried about not worried. I'd encourage you to think about your role not as a black woman, but your role just as an engineer in training, your role as a human being with faith.
47:23 I can see you on the wall behind you got guardian angels, so to speak, looking over your right shoulder. And that's not by accident, I think. But you have the opportunity to influence not just your collection of people like you at your black student union and black engineering society, You have an obligation and an opportunity to make people like my kids who might not have met someone like before they went to Villanova, you're educating, you're changing a whole generational path of people's understandings of the value and knowledge of other cultures and respect for them.
48:04 So you have a great opportunity there, but a great responsibility. And I know you're up for it, up to it. Thank you. Josh. Well, I just wanted to... And actually, right, go ahead, Josh, because I want to ask Kira. I wanted you guys to have an opportunity to speak to... Kara, because her song is sort of similar just like mine. I understand that anxiety piece very well. I did a summer study at MIT. And of course, we had two hundred people in a classroom. And I was the only one that was dark. I was the darkest one in the classroom.
48:45 So it is some nervousness that goes along with that process. And it's it kind of puts you in a position where you're trying to figure out am I supposed to be here but just like queen said you're supposed to be exactly where you are and I really believe that and I stuck with that that was in my mind I said I'm here for a reason I'm here because a lot of other people could not be here so I must complete this I must finish this so uh keep up the good work here I understand where you're coming from But I am so proud of you when I look at those pictures and see that the only one that looked like me is you.
49:27 So I'm glad that we got representation there. So keep up the good work. And, you know, Rob, you bring up a good point that you said earlier, you know, it's obviously it's more than just being a black woman, you know, in a male dominated space. But the reality of the situation is that she is a black woman in a male dominated white space. Right. And Kira, I always like to pass wisdom. And if something, you know, hit and and impacted my life, I'm gonna share it with you. One of my sheroes is a woman by the name of Carla Harris.
50:07 And this is a book that I would highly encourage you to go get. It's called, Expect to Win, Proven Strategies for Success from a Wall Street Vet by Carla Harris. And you don't even know that she was an African-American woman until like chapter two, chapter three, very successful. But a lot of what she speaks of is being able to present yourself with the conviction, a tone of conviction, right? And so even when you don't know or are unsure, which is not a black woman thing, it is a human being thing, just being in a space that you kind of have to present yourself in a confident manner, you know, always do that.
50:56 Never be ashamed of admitting, you know, I don't know the answer to that, but I'm going to go ahead and find out for it. So when you cower or you're shy or you feel as if you shouldn't be in that place, that will carry through and that's how people will kind of respond to you. So, you know, my advice to you is sit there, at the table, you deserve to be there in any way, shape or form. And when you're called on or when you speak, that's what I remember about you also early on the virtual classroom days.
51:30 There are two types of people, kids that are gonna be laying down, not engaged and they're just listening and not talking, right? or the people that are actually gonna be like, oh, I have a question about this. I always remember proactivity coming out of you. And actually to me, that's an indicator of leadership and the ability to thrive. Kids that are proactive when they're in middle school, I'm almost like they're gonna be successful because if you can grab that and hold onto it, that's my pearl of wisdom.
51:58 To end out the show, what does advance the dream mean to you, Kira, when you think about it, what does that mean to you? Advance the dream is doing what I can to push the next generation to go even further than I did. And, you know, taking advantage of the opportunities given to me and making sure that the dreams of the people in the seventies and the sixties are upheld and not forgotten. And that's my job and one of my responsibilities as a human being to ensure that the dream does not die, but also grow.
52:38 Into different ideas that they probably didn't even think of as feasible before. I love that. And you're getting to the point now that you are able to, you know, Rob and I, we call it wing tapping, right? You always got to reach up, got to reach up, flex the wings and get people that can help you. So identify who you'd like to be with, right? And who you aspire to be with. You got to reach out, stretch your wings and make sure the people you're hanging out with are the people that will, you know, have your best interest at heart.
53:11 And then you also have to reach down. So it's like the three sixty reach down. So, you know, I'd encourage you to adopt a. or get involved with things that, because you being a freshman in that place can be very inspirational to middle schoolers or freshmen or sophomores coming up and moving into that role too. So never underestimate your power to mentor, right? You've been a mentee for several years, but the power to mentor and continue that dream, just like what you said would be awesome. I know we're out of time.
53:47 It's a great point, Lucy, but the mentoring I see, Kira, you have a special gift and you can also mentor up. You've mentored people like me to better understand what you are experiencing in college, your college admissions department, the Posse Foundation and others. You can mentor old white guys like me that might be in a policy position to make different decisions because you're very impressive. Keep impressing. Thank you for being here today. I look forward to talking to you again. And Josh, I know you've got a reunion call coming up here.
54:24 Queen, it's always wonderful to see you. Thank you so much for participating in Senior Force Reflections. We will have you back. You know, congratulations on Villanova. The door has been opened. Now it's up to you to take advantage of that full opportunity. Four years goes by so quickly. So enjoy and thrive. And know that you've got all sorts of sources and people to call, okay, for you to help. Josh, it was good seeing you. I hope you have a wonderful time at the Dillard Health Fair. And you've got to get on your other, you do matter of, alumni or reunion call and stay warm.
55:07 All invited and welcome to join in if you would like to see some more of Kira's colleagues and friends talk about their experiences with the You Do Matter Foundation. Well, thank you very much. Remember, Black History Month is more than just February. So let's extend and let's be culturally sensitive. Let's learn from each other. Let's understand our differences and let's be a force for health every day and advance the dream. Okay. Thank you. And we will see you next week, everybody. All right. Bye-bye.
55:40 Thank you.
Transcript is auto-generated from the broadcast captions and lightly cleaned; timestamps jump to the moment on YouTube.
Advance the Dream · Episode Recap ·