Homeboy goes to Harvard Blog

Richard Santana, EdM

After a recent staff development for educators, I was emailed by a teacher, who, while driving home from the conference, struggled with something I said. Although she was moved by my presentation, the question I raised, “What are you going to do for me?’’ continued to resonate in her thoughts.  She could not help but want clarity thus she emailed me asking,  ”What do you want me to do for you?”

The question I raised was meant to provoke the audience into thinking about how sometimes personal biases interfere with ones ability to provide service.  I conduct my presentation completely dressed in my gang attire, the same attire I wore as a student.  In doing so, it creates an uncomfortable feeling that in many cases is not acknowledged.  There begins this underlined desire to remove what ever is creating this uncomfortable situation.  In this case, me.  Even during my keynote, I see the look of discomfort drawn on the faces of the audience.  Hence, the question.

The answer is simple.  As a child, I wanted to know if you were going to be down for me.  In other words, I wanted to know if I had a teacher who truly cared about my potential and me or not.  In most cases, that was apparent within the first few moments.  I was either treat as a deviant or pitied as a displace child.   Both disarmed me from any aspirations of achieving an education.  The most effective teachers in my life were those who respected and accepted me.   They had compassion and desired a greater understanding of my social conditions. Most importantly, they believed that I, or any child, could learn.   They simply did their best to teach.

Richard Santana, EdM

2012 has begun and with that a new affirmation by Homeboy Goes to Harvard Productions to continue providing staff development for educators, parent presentations, school assemblies and motivational presentations for youth. Our goal remains, to raise awareness about issues such as gangs, drug addiction, self-esteem, and all the risks experienced by youth in their school and home communities.  Change is not always easy to accomplish, but I believe that through the positive example of our presenters and the sharing our their stories, that we can influence a students to avoid risky behavior and continue their educational endeavors.

Happy New Year

Richard Santana, EdM

In preparing for a staff development for educators, I give myself time before the presentation to get a sense of the staging and a feel for the audience.  My keynote presentation in Ventura, Ca was no different.  I stood in the back of the hall way as people from various departments filed into the main ballroom to get their sits.  I am fully draped with my gang garb so it does not surprise me when I see the eyes of those passing by quickly turn away, hesitant to meet my gaze. It could be because of the way I dressed or maybe even because I appeared to be out of place.  Nonetheless, I stood waiting to be introduced and to make my entrance.

I was thinking about how to begin the presentation and the path I wanted to take the audience when a Latino man approached me.  He came to me with his arm extended reaching for a handshake and was very excited to see me.  He said to me “I remember you”.  In his enthusiasm he explained how when he was in high school, I came and presented to the entire student body.  Then, a couple of years later, he saw me again at a student leadership conference.  He was so happy to see me and without speaking so much of a word, he began to tell me his story.

In high school, he was what he considered a “wanna be”.  He wasn’t taking school serious and from time to time was messing up by engaging in some kind of disruptive behavior.  He had no direction and was pretty much going to follow the path of despair, like many of those he lived and associated with.  After hearing my presentation for the first time, it sparked something inside that he could not explain.  Although doubtful in his thoughts, he started to consider the possibility of other opportunities. After seeing the presentation a second time, he knew.  He came to believe that if someone like me could make it then maybe he could too.  He started to change.

I stood and listened to this man descride how although difficult, he graduated from high school, went on to get his BA from CAL, received his Master Degree and is currently completing his administrative credential.  “I would have never done this if I did not see you those times when I thought I wanted to be a mess up.  Thank you”.

I looked to this man and could not help but feel an over whelming sense of gratitude for his words.  I reached to him and gave him a hug

“Excuse me, Mr. Chocolate. It time to go on”.  The introduction was given and I was ushered in to take the stage.

I recently spoke in Ventura, California at a conference for educators and received a review that I would like to share.

Hello Mr. Santana,

Thank you very much for your inspiring keynote address at our conference. I want you to know that we have received so many compliments on your address and the only thing that could have made it better would have been if we had given you more time. So many people, including myself, wanted to hear more about your struggles and how you were able to attend Harvard. An hour isn’t much time, but with some speakers it feels like an eternity; that was not the case with you.Your presentation was strong and engaging and powerful in its simplicity. You set the tone for the conference exactly as we hoped and it was the perfect start to our day. I sincerely hope you will join us again in the future.

Richard Santana, EdM

Sincerely,

Lydia Chavira

Special Population Educational Support Department

Ventura, CA

Richard Santana speaking to students at Porterville College 2011

Here is an article that I would like to share as I continue presenting staff developments for educator and motivation keynote to students.  I hope you enjoy it

High school seniors inspired to attend college

By ESTHER AVILA

THE PORTERVILLE RECORDER

A gymnasium packed to capacity with seniors from 13 different high schools cheered as keynote speaker Richard Santana “Señor Chocolate” stepped to the center of the basketball court Wednesday morning during Porterville College Senior Day.

After joking with the seniors, Santana shared his story.

“Life is right around the corner. I can only hope you’re going to be ready,” Santana said. “When I was your age, I never thought of college. My goal was not getting killed and not getting locked up.”

Santana, founder of “Homeboy Goes to Harvard Productions,” was a former gang member who earned a master’s degree from Harvard University because “someone took a chance” and believed in him.

“Someone saw something inside me that I could not see myself,” he said as he praised teachers, counselors, administrators, ministers and parents for encouraging students.

Known as Señor Chocolate, Santana began his presentation dressed as a tough-talking Latino gangster in baggy pants, trench coat and shades. But as he talked about future goals and college, he began to shed his clothes and emerged in beige dress slacks, a white dress shirt and tie.

The crowd appeared to be taking in every word as they listened attentively to his talk.

“He’s very interesting,” said Mercedes Lisenbery of Monache High. “His story is very interesting — the way he went from gangster to college and everything. And he was so funny. It was interesting seeing the major change and difference college made in his life.”

Christian Perez and Sacramento Ceballos, seniors at Porterville High School, agreed, saying they enjoyed the way he motivates students into believing that they can do anything they want. Both said they enjoyed watching the transformation and how he changed his lifestyle.

Esmeralda Duran, a PC student working at the event, said she can still remember listening to Santana in 2008 when she was a senior at Strathmore High.

“I remember being where they are now and wondering what I was going to do in life,” Duran said. “I think this really helps them. It opens a lot of windows by making them see the difference college can make.”

High School Seniors at Porterville Community College Conference

On my continued journey of providing school assemblies to students and staff developments for educators, I traveled to Porterville Community College to give a keynote presentation at a High School Seniors Conference.  Nearly 2000 students from the surrounding communities came for the daylong event of workshops and activities.  The purpose was simple, to motivate students towards a higher education.

I opened the conference with my story of how I broke through the barriers of the poverty and violence to attended college, eventually earning a Masters degree from Harvard University.  The interaction of the audience, the laughter, and the silence as they listen attentively, the students and educators were thoroughly engaged.   I left the to a roar of cheers sensing how eager these students are  about pursuing their dreams.

Richard Santana, EdM

I have been presenting to student audiences for over two decades and although I take great pride in my ability to connect with the young, my true strength is in professional development for teachers.  My message is simple,  I remind the staff of the reason for entering the profession of teaching.  We do not enter teaching for the money.  Everyone knows that teachers are underpaid.  We enter the profession for the love of learning and in more times then not, we see that love blossom in the students we serve.

Students of Redwood Heights Elementary School

I recently gave a staff development for educators to a district in St Michael, Minnesota.  To my surprise, the majority of the staff was homogeneous.  It really did not influence the direction of my message, as I truly believe every school staff member can have a powerful impact on the life of a child.  After, a teacher who had been contemplating retirement came and shared his experience.

This teacher had been feeling that he gave everything he could and was looking for a reason to continue.  Throughout my presentation, he struggled with the constant image of a young African American boy who had been reaching out for help.  Understanding how this young man needed an advocate, my message helped the teacher conclude that he could give to this student.  He said that in the 30 years that he had been teaching, he never heard a message as influencing and powerful as what he just experienced, “I now have a reason to stay”.   As the man left with tears in his eyes and flushed with a red face, I knew that my message does connect all color lines.

Richard Santana, EdM

The past couple of weeks I have been spending time prepare to market the motivational speakers of Homeboy Goes to Harvard Productions.  This entails putting together a brochure of all the motivational speakers and the topics they present and mailing it out to the schools.  Since most of our presentations are directed to a youth audience, the emphasis will be gang prevention, drug awareness, self esteem and school readiness.

A copy of the brochure will be sent to every urban public high school in America, minus Arizona.  Unfortunately, there is a national boycott on the state of Arizona that prevents us from traveling into and touching the lives of many students. I can only hope the students of this state find their way to our website.

There are about 13,000 high schools that will receive our information.  For the past few days, I have been tabbing, labeling, stuffing and preparing them to be ship out by early September.  This will give each high school an ample opportunity to plan an event, conference or school assembly.   Although it is tiresome and time consuming, it is necessary for keeping each school informed of the services we provide.

I am looking forward to this new academic year.

My trip to Texas was a success.  After the keynote address in San Marcos, I flew to Houston for a staff development in a middle school of Alief ISD.  I started my presentation as usual, but since this was set in a classroom and for a smaller group of educators, I was a bit more critical.  I focused on becoming aware of personal biases as to not let them interfere with the service we provide to students.

I still was able to weave my humor into the presentation, but since it was later in the day, and the staff had sat through two other presentations, it took a little more energy to convey the message.  Regardless, I was able to motivate them to do their best and to remember why they chose the profession of teaching.  It’s the kids.  I am grateful for the opportunity.

Richard Santana, Homeboy Goes to Harvard