College Student Success Secrets - Leadership to Develop Greatness, Ensure Success & Live Your Dreams College student success and leadership has always been a topic that deeply resonates with college activities and career coordinators. After all, what use is college if it cannot propel and further college students' success thereafter? College and academia should never be the octopus that tries to entangle or engulf students, nor the pushy parent that tries to direct them to take (or require) unrelated career curriculum in which they are not interested in pursuing. To truly revolutionize a college campus and impact college students some important components are vital whenever you bring in a keynote speaker to impact your students. Undoubtedly, orientation and welcome week are high-energy kickoffs in which you need an outstanding speaker who is able to immediately connect with and communicate to your students.
An exceptional speaker innately and intuitively knows how to do this by nature, as such will flow naturally for any skillful orator with a powerful presence. Upon connecting with and captivating the audience, the keynote speaker should deliver compelling and transformative content. Hype alone will not suffice, nor sustain the interest of college students. Remember college students are clever and can see through phony people who are not congruent, nor one with their message. Never in a million years did I anticipate being a worldwide professional speaker, but by reason of my travels to over 50 countries and 6 continents, I frequently was invited to speak at various academic institutions, colleges, and universities. Initially, I was overseas serving in a humanitarian capacity, primarily working in war-torn and third world nations. Because people liked me, I often got asked to speak at organization and governmental meetings, along with some churches and religious gatherings. Humorously, I was even asked a few times to speak to groups at a birthday parties in Indonesia. This was a bit awkward at first, until I realized how earnest and desirous everybody was to hear me. Most of all, I would say I enjoy speaking to college students because they are in a place in their life where they truly desire personal growth. Their hearts and minds are open to valuable input, powerful impartation, and personal transformation. Particularly, college student orientations and welcome week kickoffs serendipitously proved to be the ideal fit for me. Because I was a former high school teacher, I experientially know the challenges students face entering and transitioning into college. My own years attending community college, awakened me academically as I went from being a B student in high-school to becoming an A student in college. My intellectual curiosity moved me to pursue new bodies of knowledge with a ferocious zeal and passion. I particularly found economics, marketing, communications, and law to be most fascinating. I attended Valencia Community College (VCC), where I achieved great success as a student, making the dean's list and graduating with a 3.8 GPA. I distinguished myself as a student at VCC, after which I entered UCF and continued making high marks earning Cum Laude at graduation. In retrospect when I look back on those days spent studying at college, I see specific and tangible action steps I took to propel my personal success. One thing I have yet to mention is I completed my college education in 3 years. Because I had such an intense passion to travel the world, I wanted to graduate as quickly as possible. I therefore took a full load of 15 courses two summers back to back, while during the fall and winter semester taking 18 and 24 hours respectively (which I only could do with a dean's override and approval). This resulted in me graduating with a Bachelors degree, Cum Laude, at the age of 20.
Thereafter I embarked upon my world travels and real education, which books could never have taught me. Nevertheless academic success is something I personally mastered and excelled at. Yet the academic experience was not something I deliberately pursued, but rather by reason of survival discovered. This quick approach to homework didn't cut it in middle school, which I soon found out when I brought home a D on my progress report in my science class. My father immediately with belt in hand applied some stern pressure to my backside to increase understanding up above that I was to do better in school. Yet never did my father, step-mother, or grandparents sit down with me and teach me how to properly study to excel academically. Ironically, I hear the same story from many high-school and college students throughout the world.
Why is it parents, schools, and colleges punish for poor academic performance but never teach students proper study habits, techniques, and strategies to excel academically? Well, that million dollar question has been the platform for my speaking career to college students throughout the world.