I had a fabulous time speaking to the students at Edward A. Reynolds, West Side High School. I was the guest speaker for 40 graduating seniors. My lesson for them was about how passion leads to success and dressing to excel. Before the actual day of the seminar, I obsessed over what the students would think of me.
Aiming for students attention is not that easy, some students get bored, feel like they heard it all before or you're simply just a waste of their time. Not to mention, almost every student has a cell phone and/or music player. What will stop them from tuning me out? I remember being a student and I wasn't always engaged with every guest speaker we had in class. However, the ones I do remember inspiring me had relatable experiences to my life or someone I knew and had a personable approach.
As I entered the class room, I said to myself, "This is the beginning of a new venture and a test to see if I have what it takes to make this mission happen". Well, the experience was better than I could imagine. The students appreciated me sharing my life trials and how I used them to get to where I am today. They were intrigued and had a lot of questions. I was excited and felt valued that I can share my time with them. The feeling gave me a rush and motivation to proceed with the launch of Dress to Excel.
xoxo Madame Q
