XIPE: The Corporate Gap Year and Professional Renewal

This is how my journey begins - Comencemos por el principio, pues ahí es donde todo comienza.

My community activism and corporate world life started roughly around the same time, and this is where I first learned about leadership - a topic that has become a predominant part of my life.

Amid high school spirit week, and graphic design academy at Lynwood High School, I was selected to work with the Los Angeles County of Education as an intern. This experience would help bring a self-development and mentorship conference to young women of color who were institutionalized in Juvenile Hall, or as we called it, "juvie."

These young women came from devastating poverty and circumstances that, at the tender age of sixteen, I couldn't even begin to comprehend. Woman to Woman, a one day conference, gave these young women an outlet out of their circumstances, if at least for a few hours. Through workshops, our goal was to equip them with hope, a hope that could get them through their time at "juvie," a belief that could help them imagine a way out of their situation. I assisted in the coordination and orchestration of the conference. As life should have it, this was an event that forever changed the trajectory of my life, the catalyst to my community activism. 

I am not sure how I did it, but not only was I an intern for this project, I was also a part-time employee at Pizza Hut, a full-time high school student, and was enrolled in a few classes in my nearby community college. I should have known this "full-plate model" would foreshadow my life for the next twenty-five years.

Soon after the Woman to Woman conference, I began my full-time college years while I engaged in community activism as an advocate for the pursuit of higher education. I also became a student/teacher of Mexican-American history and culture. Armed with my "know-how of coordinating conferences," I helped coordinate educational and cultural fairs in the streets of South Central LA, all while I held a few jobs so that I could finance my way through school...phew, my days were full indeed. 

Many stories to tell, no estoy para contarlo, ni ustedes para saberlo, impossible to share in this brief introduction of my professional refresh and renewal, but in due time, we shall fill in the gaps. In the meantime, indulge me and fast forward twenty-five years. During this time, I built a rewarding career in human resources leadership, and yet, I never forgot the youth who were working to overcome the unimaginable. In these twenty-five years, I continued advocating for educational and inclusive opportunities for those traveling their journey closely behind me.

The youth in the Mexican-American (Chican@, LatinX) and other marginalized communities have made many advances over the years. Minority youth are attending and graduating from college at unprecedented rates. And yet, so many, like the young women of the Woman to Woman program, are still being left behind. These thoughts, along with other social justice issues, have kept me up at night over the last twenty-five years. I kept my head down, working on building up, on becoming, because when you think about it, you cannot give what you don't have, once you have something to share, many have an urge to share that which exists within their hearts.

My "full-plate model" kept me on a high-speed chase towards this point in time. A few months ago, I made a decision. I would give a two-month notice at my job, take a year off the corporate world, and dedicate myself to that which makes my heart tick. This modern-day Corporate Gap Year and Professional Renewal, as I like to call it, my Xipe, will be a year dedicated to the renewal of my energy and passion. A time in where my plate will be full of all the thoughts and ideas, my partner in crime, Miguel Olaf Vega "MOV," and I have been contemplating over the years. Yes, there are always partnerships and collaborations that make it possible for us to reach fulfillment. I am endlessly grateful for his support, school of thought, personal philosophy, knowledge, and work that has enabled me to make this happen. To my artistic muse, may the power of your arch open the skies and enlighten our path.

I am now slamming on the refresh button of my life! I intend to document this journey via this blog so that others who may be thinking about taking a gap year to reignite the fire in their path may have an example of how this time off could be helpful and beneficial to one's career and overall life fulfillment. Join me, let's see where it takes us.

Stream of Thought

Blink. Blink. Blink.

Time elapsing so rapidly,

Quickly advancing,

As fast as you can,

Did all that just happen?

So many people,

But really alone,

Climbing a ladder,

The corporate ladder,

Looking around, so very alone,

Leaders and mentors,

Embracing their teachings,

Still representing,

Knocking on doors,

Knocking doors down,

Word on the street,

There's a leadership gap,

Searching for faces,

Faces of color,

Some have been found,

All over town,

The warmth,

And endless resolve,

People of color,

All of the people,

Build the momentum,

Call on our leaders,

We need more of you,

We need more of me,

In leadership roles,

In all of the roles,

Breathing,

Slamming the reboot,

Hitting it fast,

No stopping or turning back now.