Author Frank Carbajal Kicks Off Latino Heritage Month at Foothill

Entrepreneur and notable author Frank Carbajal yesterday addressed a crowd of students as part of a career development conference, kicking off Latino Heritage month. 

As keynote speaker, Carbajal shared leadership and career advice as well as his book that he had co-written, called “Building the Latino Future: Success Stories for the Next Generation,” which is a collection of stories of luminary Latinos -- such as former housing secretary Henry Cisneros, Stanford University Professor Emeritus Jerry Porras and actor Edward James Olmos.

The conference comes on the heels of drastic budgetary cuts and skyrocketing tuition cost and fees in California’s turbulent educational system. 

“I liked what [Carbajal] had to say about being focussed, especially with the increase of tuition and budget cuts that have been disheartening,” said Cynthia Southerby of the Office of Student Activities and Affairs. “It was really nice that he refocussed students that we’re good here and there are opportunities.”

Carbajal, who sits on the Advocacy Board for the Silicon Valley Education Foundation, told a culturally diverse room of over 200 students the role of mentors, the value of an individual’s unique strengths and most important, the power of resiliency.

“Learning how to bounce back from adversity is a necessary ingredient of success,” Carbajal said. “In school, you have to have resiliency.”

As a Mexican-American, Carbajal has enlightened many people about cross-cultural issues. He has advised leadership training and skills to small business owners and entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley through his coaching firm he created, called Es Tiempo. 

When asked what Carbajal hopes students learn from the conference, he responded that he wanted students to walk away learning about perseverance and how to ask questions, which he believed is an effective tool in leadership. 

Twenty-year-old Edward Fischer attended the conference as part of his leadership class at Foothill.

“I wanted to get a better feel for what I want out of school and prepare for the future,” said Fischer, who has yet to declare a major.

Foothill student Denise Duff, who was sitting in front of the packed room, received not only career advice, but also a wider perspective on a different culture. 

“There’s a lot I didn’t know about the Latino culture that I wasn’t aware of (since) I grew up around Latinos and my own African-American culture,” said Duff, who is majoring in child development. “I appreciated it.”

Since the conference was designed to prepare students for their career, students also attended workshops presented by local leaders and business executives, including Oscar Garcia, President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce Mountain View, Apple, Inc.‘s Business Development Executive Jay Metheson and Jenny Woo, manager of Talent Strategy & Planning at Cisco Systems, Inc. 

Each workshop included topics on leadership and communication, networking as well as digital resumes and personal branding.

Garcia, who conducted the “Successful Networking” workshop, provided techniques and strategies to students on how to network online as well as develop business contacts. He also engaged students by illustrating tools to help individuals get out of their own comfort zone when meeting potential employers or contacts. 

“Every time you ask a question, you build an initial relationship with someone,” said Garcia, a graduate of Los Altos High School. “The person asking a question is in control of the conversation and you regain control by asking questions.”

The conference was co-sponsored by the Associated Students of Foothill College and Latino Heritage Month.