Navigating Passion: Expanding Perspective through Community, Mentorship, and Peers

Community, mentorship and those closest play a pivotal role in shaping our lives and helping us reach our full potential. Whether it's launching your career or simply broadening your skills in a certain field, having the support and guidance of others can make all the difference. Both concepts work hand in hand in a way that can later guide us like a compass to discover our underlying passion in the world. While we may think we're working a certain pathway alone, it's communities like the National Millenial and Generation Z (NMGZ) community, community/school organizations, friends, and families that expand our perspective and remind us that we're always walking our path in good company.

When I entered my senior year of college, I was met with a lot of hardships as I struggled to find balance in all areas of my life (from work, social, and faith) following my mother's passing from cancer in late 2023. While standing unsettled with the news, my life took an unexpected hit as I couldn't keep any motivation for my career and failed to reach the overall goals I had set aside for myself. It wasn't until peers from different organizations at Kennesaw State University, mentors from all areas of life, and friends from the NMGZ community (such as Jordan Conde of West Texas A&M University) showed their loving support and reminded me how much-standing impact one person can have on so many individual lives.

In simpler terms, Helen Keller once said, "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." This quote highlights the power of collaboration and working together as a team towards a common goal, as big as the journey may be. Those who know me closely can easily catch me with a smile on my face as I endlessly focus on balancing peace, love, unity, and motivation in common areas like campus life, workouts in the gym, and organizations like the Boy Scouts of America and Kennesaw State's Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). I wrote in an earlier blog post with NMGZ that "Personal Growth is The Key to Success," with my main idea of "success" being far from the materialistic outlook of things and focusing more on discovering a person's passion and purpose in life-expanding out of a limited thinking mentality. As I expand my perspective and work alongside peers, I feel as though I am re-discovering my voice in real-time throughout the ongoing world day by day. When we are part of a supportive community and have mentors to guide us, we are stronger and more resilient no matter what distance, differences, or backgrounds we carry.

In this past NMGZ trip to the Greater Los Angeles area, I was beyond grateful to re-encounter just that. I was able to reconnect with old friends while meeting new faces along the way as I progressed through my journey into the field. By creating lifetime memories while learning, dancing, and sharing insight, I was quickly reminded not to lose my passion during hard times as I went through each day infinitely in the spirit of my late mother. As I prepared for the next chapter in life after graduation, the memories made on the trip will be carried with me from time on as I transition roles within my career while gearing towards personal projects in the future.

In closing, we all have certain paths we want to work in life, but realistically the journey we go about is far more interesting than the destination we choose to go towards as one can make endless memories along the way. Passion is what drives us to pursue our dreams, and overcome life's many obstacles. When we are passionate about something, we are willing to put in the time and effort required to reach an end goal, with mine being peace, acceptance, and connectivity for my peers, youth, and community. Passion works as a compass and can give us purpose and direction, while hard-working mentors and impactful leaders like Bill Imada, can fuel our motivation and determination to reach our overarching goal.