Speech #1 - The Icebreaker
Journey (04-10-2017)
This journey does not belong to me; it belongs to those traveling by my side.
Madam Toastmaster, and fellow Toastmasters,
My name is Alvaro, I am from Colombia and my passion is Chemical Engineering.
Life is full of opportunities, opportunities to grow personally and professionally. I have been very lucky, I have been fortunate to find great people with the desire to help others. It has never been an easy path to arrive where I am, but none of this, could have been possible with hurdles along the road.
My trip to United States took 17 hours, plane, bus, car and finally 2 feet of snow waiting to be discovered on December 20, 2002. It was just a great experience to enjoy winter in Vermont after 2629 miles from my hometown. A lot of new things: a new language, snowboarding, having roommates, making money in dollars, and most of all, learning from those experiences made me more independent.
Moving to Montreal was a big transition: a new language, more snowboarding, having more roommates, and making money in Canadian dollars. It was the first the city where I can say: “I was at home”. I learned French, I made a lot of friends, I discovered the greatness of international food, I fell in love with winter, I worked in a lot of different jobs, I even found love, and I was very comfortable.
New opportunities showed me the way back to United States living in Chicago, Atlanta and Akron. I have never enjoyed school so much like I did in Grad School - It made me a better person, and a better professional.
Here is a note I wrote for my friends in Akron during our graduation:
Our experiences in life shape who we are and prepare us for our next challenge. I'm very proud of what we have seen, done and what we are leaving for others to follow our steps. We went through marathons, concerts, cities, celebrations, movies, museums, festivals, performances and many other activities that brought us together.
This journey does not belong to me; it belongs to those traveling by my side.
Alvaro R.
This journey does not belong to me; it belongs to those traveling by my side.
Madam Toastmaster, and fellow Toastmasters,
My name is Alvaro, I am from Colombia and my passion is Chemical Engineering.
Life is full of opportunities, opportunities to grow personally and professionally. I have been very lucky, I have been fortunate to find great people with the desire to help others. It has never been an easy path to arrive where I am, but none of this, could have been possible with hurdles along the road.
My trip to United States took 17 hours, plane, bus, car and finally 2 feet of snow waiting to be discovered on December 20, 2002. It was just a great experience to enjoy winter in Vermont after 2629 miles from my hometown. A lot of new things: a new language, snowboarding, having roommates, making money in dollars, and most of all, learning from those experiences made me more independent.
Moving to Montreal was a big transition: a new language, more snowboarding, having more roommates, and making money in Canadian dollars. It was the first the city where I can say: “I was at home”. I learned French, I made a lot of friends, I discovered the greatness of international food, I fell in love with winter, I worked in a lot of different jobs, I even found love, and I was very comfortable.
New opportunities showed me the way back to United States living in Chicago, Atlanta and Akron. I have never enjoyed school so much like I did in Grad School - It made me a better person, and a better professional.
Here is a note I wrote for my friends in Akron during our graduation:
Our experiences in life shape who we are and prepare us for our next challenge. I'm very proud of what we have seen, done and what we are leaving for others to follow our steps. We went through marathons, concerts, cities, celebrations, movies, museums, festivals, performances and many other activities that brought us together.
This journey does not belong to me; it belongs to those traveling by my side.
Alvaro R.