What do Hispanic students need to succeed in the most competitive culture this world has ever seen?
By: Luis Fuentes
Tags: Mexico, Sports, Hispanics, America, Success

What do Hispanic students need to succeed in the most competitive culture this world has ever seen? Luis Fuentes Apr 12, 2019·5 min read

About the Author

Luis C Fuentes a UCLA Economist, class of ’94 is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles. Fuentes has been advising and consulting Fortune 1000 firms on improving business processes and use of technology to improve performance and verifiable delivery of business value.

Audience

The purpose of this article is to provide Hispanic students with some key lessons from an individual whose education and experience may provide insight on ways to avoid economic hardship and prepare interested Hispanic members with information on what is required to succeed in the most competitive culture this world has ever seen.

As a member of generation X, my colleagues and classmates were not privy to access the Internet or had the means to benefit from electronic media tools to study and research or determine how successful individuals coped with obstacles and were able to succeed in the United States. The purpose of this article is to enlighten Hispanic students on ways to triumph.



One thing is clear, in order to succeed in the 21st century a person must attain the discipline, skills, and dedication required to study, work and excel in an environment where only one out of three college students obtain a four (4) year degree; but sadly, Hispanic students graduate at a lower rate due to social, family, environmental and economic factors. This document provides several lessons learned that can be applied to succeed in a highly competitive society where meritocracy is highly valued but insufficient.

So, how does a person achieve success in family, church, work, and society?

First, I’ve learned that one must be honest and reliable. While there are occasions where taking a shortcut provides immediate results, honesty and reliability continued to be valued by the vast majority of citizens in North America. Trying to avoid the risk of generalizing, the author focuses solely on north american societies, as his experience has been drawn from three decades of education, professional work and empirical knowledge in The United States of America and Mexico.

Second, in order to “reach the podium” in any endeavor, a person must dedicate the time and effort to excel. This is easier said than done. In any given year, a person must decide how to spend their time productively in order “reach the podium” defined as reaching 1st, 2nd or 3rd place in the desired activity.

it is important to define success as a triumph or victory in achieving a personal goal not measured in monetary terms. So in order to accomplish a victory, one must be honest, reliable, dedicated and motivated to reach a goal or to win. Choosing ways to productively spend a significant percentage of 8,760 yearly hours to attain the desired objective seems to be a pellucid requirement.

Third, a person must believe that success is a gift from God, and that success is attainable irrespective of the time required to obtain it. Over the past decade, several Olympic athletes have shared their recipe for success, defined in the number of medals obtained in the Olympic games. So, if success is attainable irrespective of the time required to obtain it, why do some persons attain victory while others do not?

A few years ago, I met the daughter of Dr. Paul Felix, an ordained Christian minister. Her name is Allyson Felix; she is the only female track and field athlete to ever win six Olympic gold medals and her nine medals are tied for the most ever won by a female track and field Olympian. Allyson gave her Christian testimony at Anza Baptist church in Torrance, California; Felix described her running ability as a gift from God, “For me, my faith is the reason I run. I definitely feel I have this amazing gift that God has blessed me with, and it’s all about using it to the best of my ability.”

Success does come at a price unless it is attributed to God’s divine power. Michael Phelps, the most successful and most decorated Olympian of all time, with a total of 28 medals, stated that his success recipe was based on the number of hours spent training per week. He worked to achieve success without gratitude with negative side effects; he contemplated suicide after retiring from competitive swimming. In January 20, 2018, CNN asked him what it takes to become a champion, Phelps, immediately replied, “I think that part is pretty easy — it’s hard work, dedication, not giving up.” Michael Phelps shared the story of his personal encounter with depression at a mental health conference in Chicago. “I am extremely thankful that I did not take my life”.

While hard work, honesty, dedication, talent, mental strength, and perseverance must be part of one’s success recipe, it is clear that we cannot succeed without help, in particular, our desire to succeed must accompany our spiritual journey in life. Through scripture, we know that God wants us to succeed in life. By growing and using our faith & trust in the Lord we can be strengthened to fulfill God’s will for our lives- this is a true success. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”. Jeremiah, 29:11.

In the 1980s, access to a higher education required above average grades and access to financial resources not readily accessible to the general public. The only alternative for middle-class students was to obtain merit-based scholarships. Hispanic students must learn ways to achieve their goals in order to succeed in the most competitive culture this world has ever seen.

What about talent, tools, processes, and techniques Hispanic students need in accomplishing successful goals? Talent, tools, technique, information, and processes to attain victory are not the focus of this article. Rather, this article contains several lessons learned on ways to triumph gained through formal education, professional work experience and empirical knowledge collected over the past three decades.