Tag: life

Passions & Motivations

by Rhobie Toussaint, posted in Beyond MLEC

Last year, I interviewed three students on campus and asked them about their major, their passions, and what motivates them. Madison, Omar, and Kesya all have varying passions but they all have one thing in common: making lives better. 

Though it took me a while to come back to this project, I’m so happy that I did. Omar, Maddy, and Kes are three wonderful, ambitious people and I’m excited to share part of their stories with you. Below is what they have to say about their passions and motivations:

Maddy: eDucation & Support Systems

“My name is Madison. I am [now 20] years old. I am an elementary education major. I want to become a teacher. Things that motivate me when I’m at my lowest are my friends. They are some of the most, how do I say, helpful people that I have around me at this point. They push me to do the best that I can and be the best that I can for myself and the people around me. As well as my parents, you know. They’ve always wanted me to do the best that I could and have always been such a good support system in my life. [They have] inspired me to do what I’m most passionate about, which at this point I would say is education. 

Education is very important to me because I have been watching the state of education decline throughout my life and I’m seeing things happen around me where I feel like a lot of the teachers that we have at our schools are not motivated anymore and aren’t happy with their job. For many different reasons… [Education has]  always been something that I’ve been very passionate about. In terms of education, [I care about] making sure that I provide an equitable education in my classroom, as well as in my school, in the county… and making sure that our students have everything they need to be successful and as happy as possible in my classroom and in education as a whole. 

I just think that having passionate people in the classroom with the children is one of the most important things to their education. Because at the end of the day, if you’re not passionate, they’re not going to be. And they should be. It’s their education. Kids are not going to want to listen to you if you’re not going to give them a reason to listen. So I think having a motivated person in front of your students, whether they are in kindergarten or highschool, is one of the most important parts of their educational career. So that’s why I am very passionate about [education] and I think that over time, I’m going to become more and more passionate about it. 

Recently in school and stuff, I have really shown myself that this is something I want to do. And it’s more than just an idea. It’s actually something that I’m really passionate about.” 

Omar: Acting, Role Models & Family

Question: When did you realize that you want to be an actor?

“This was during my senior year in high school. I went to Miami Lakes Tech. I used to dress up as Spiderman a lot back in high school and I remember doing it for multiple pep rallies [and] multiple events like spirit week. And I remember I once [dressed up as Spiderman] for the kids there because at our high school we had a daycare. I remember dressing up for the kids. They asked me to do the favor, me and my other buddy, and [the kids] loved it. It was seeing all of them happy. So then I thought about it. I said, ‘you know, I think I’m perfect for this.’ I think I have like the right energy and all that for the entertainment field…  I love making people smile. I love making people happy. So yeah, that’s what made me want to be on the big screen. ” 

Question: Who (or what) motivates you? 

“One of the people who inspires me alot [is] Kobe Bryant. There’s no doubt in my mind that Kobe Bryant has made me a better person just because of the way he was. He didn’t give up, he loved challenges. And I used to not challenge myself back then, but I once started to know more about him, and just became a fan overall… I love to challenge myself now and have the same mentality as him. He’s one of my biggest inspirations… 

My family. Yeah, I mean one thing I want to do is – I want to make my family proud of me. I know they support me and all, but I really want to show them that I can succeed with all these goals and dreams.. I want to make them proud, you know? Especially my little brother. I want him to like look up to me and say “he’s a good big brother, you know?” 

-Omar, 22

Kes: Protecting Our Home & Future Generations

“My name is Kesya. I am [now 20] years old. I go to Florida International University and study Sustainability and the Environment. I’ve really had sustainability and environmental issues in my life for a long time. I remember as a kid, like since childhood, we’ve always done recycling and went to different [environmental] events and stuff like that. So it’s kind of been incorporated into my life, for my entire life. I’ve always been aware of these issues and I guess that was kind of rooted in me wanting to study it in my future as an adult. Because it’s something that’s really important and affects us everyday. The world is changing, not in the best ways, because of current situations, so we want to try to find solutions to fix that and make the world a better place in the future. 

A sustainable world, to me, is people actually caring about our home. We only have one earth and we have to try and preserve it and try to save it. So I feel like if everyone tried, even if it’s in the smallest ways… Even recycling more, which is surprisingly not as common as people think. A lot of people don’t recycle in their homes. So people can start doing more of that, or trying to save power, saving water, just trying to not be so wasteful and being more aware of the things we do that affect our environment. 

I think the future of our planet is what motivates me. ‘Cause I just want a future, especially for my kids or my grandchildren, people that I care about that are going to live through the planet in the future. I want them to have a healthy and thriving home. I don’t want them to grow up and live in a place that’s slowly decaying. So I guess thinking about future generations is what inspires me to try harder and learn more about the world and find more things to improve it. 

Something else I realize I like to do a lot – When I learn about news topics, I like to learn more about them, explore them more, and try to learn as much information about it. I don’t know if it’s considered a hobby, but [I like to] just learn more information and do research on stuff. I’m a big researcher and I like taking on projects that involve researching and learning about new ideas and things.”

Then, Now, and the Things to Be

by Rhobie Toussaint, posted in Beyond MLEC

At the end of last year, I realized that I never posted the graduation pictures I took with three of my friends. Somehow this gave me the idea to reach out to them. I asked the each of them how it felt to graduate, where they are in their lives right now, and their outlook on the future. I enjoyed getting to hear their stories, and I hope you resonate with or enjoy some parts of them too.

Then, Now, and the Things to Be: Striving For More Success 

“If I’m being honest, I really don’t know how it felt to graduate. What I can tell you is that it certainly wasn’t like the movies. I don’t know if it was just me or because of the circumstances, but it didn’t feel like what it should’ve been and or what I always thought it would be like. Don’t get me wrong, after 12 years of school I was finally able to graduate, and not only did I do that, I did it with Summa Cum Laude and also accomplished so many other things. The things I have achieved have made me happy and proud, but I guess at the time and moment I didn’t really feel all that love or anything for graduating. It was a little sad for me because I was graduating and I guess it was an accomplishment for me but no one really made it feel like a big deal. And I didn’t really have any close/best friends so it was just not that great.

As of now, I’ve had the chance to work, save up money, but also after 12 years of school, finally relax for at least a few months. With that being said, I got into FIU as a student in psychology, and I will be starting in the spring term of January 2022. I’m proud of myself for what I’ve been able to accomplish in high school because that allowed me to get into an amazing school with scholarships and so on. My only wish is that once school starts, I’m able to focus, learn, and study, so that I’m able to achieve the grades I want and grow as a person, in the hopes of succeeding and excelling for my future self as someone in the medical field, all while balancing my life and maintaining a prospering mental state of mind.”

-Rhythm A. 

Then, Now, and the Things to Be: Milestones and Independence 

“Graduating was really difficult for me because my family wasn’t there. It felt weird that I worked so hard for that day and nothing was going the way I wanted. But when I finally got my diploma and walked across that stage I was so ecstatic. That feeling was surreal. The phase that I’m in right now is kind of just living. I’ve  worked hard for twelve years so for now it’s just time to give myself a break. I’m looking forward to finally moving out and getting my own place.” 

-Abigaelle B. 

Then, Now, and the Things to Be: Manifesting Something Better

“Graduating was honestly really good. I remember being happy, but I feel like I was just happy to leave the place I was in. I didn’t want to be in high school anymore. It was like ‘high school sucks. I wanna leave’. I was ready to move on with my life. How do I feel now? I feel good. I feel a little nervous, not gonna lie, but an excited kind of nervous because I don’t know what’s going to happen.

Right now, I’m going into my second semester of college and I feel pretty confident about it. It feels great. I’m going to be starting a job on monday. It’s a big girl job. Like, I have to go in at 7 in the morning and get a background check and everything. It’s a really good job and opportunity which is crazy because I wasn’t even [actively] looking for a job. I was manifesting money and this job came into my life and I was like ‘okay this is a sign.’ You know what I mean?

I feel like I can balance things more now. When I quit my first job, I was just overwhelmed with everything. I didn’t know how to balance managing my mental health properly, and eating, and going to school, and going to work and having to do homework. It was just not working for me. But I feel like I’m ready to balance those things now. I think I was scared of change, but now I’m ready to embrace it. I’m looking forward to the new obstacles. I feel like I’m ready to face them and that I’m stronger now. I believe in myself and I’m more confident than I was before. I’m looking forward to seeing what I’m capable of, growing, being happy, and being in that stable mindset. I feel like I’m getting there.”  

– Laudith D. 

Honestly, it felt really good to do this. I love getting the perspective of others and interviewing people, so working on this really was a breath of fresh air. Hopefully, you got something from their stories, or at the very least enjoyed reading it.

As always, I wish you all the best. May this week be one of prosperity, happiness, and success.

With Love,

Rhobie ❤

‘Til You Try

by Rhobie Toussaint, posted in Experience

What I’ve come to realize is that sometimes, there’s really only one way to find out: trying it.

In all honesty, that was kind of hard for me to accept. I’ve never been a fan of change or going out of my comfort zone. I like the ideas of safety of consistency. I pride myself as someone who doesn’t make rash decisions and as someone who doesn’t have an impulsive spirit. But somewhere in that, I became an individual who didn’t take enough chances. “Going for it” became this weird, unfamiliar concept. Trying out new things became an idea that makes me nervous. However, I had to learn that (surprise, surprise) staying in your comfort zone, in fact, limits you.

How can you be sure that an experience won’t positively impact your life if you don’t try it? Or that it won’t lead to something you learn from? Or that it won’t help you figure out you like and what you dislike? Well, in a lot of cases, you can’t.

I’ll give an example of what I’m talking about. A few weeks ago, I went to a Peruvian restaurant for a holiday luncheon with my coworkers. It should be mentioned that I’m very picky and am not the greatest with trying unfamiliar food. There was a variety of appetizers and entrees. A lot of choices were foods that I’ve never heard of, much less tried. I barely touched the first appetizer that was served because I couldn’t tell what was in the bowl. I ate a lot of tequenos (pastries filled with cheese), and hesitated before eating the empanadas with steak and onions in them.

About twenty minutes into all of this, a former coworker who recently retired joined us at the table. We talked a little and saw my hesitation to try any of the entrees. Then, she said something along the lines of “try it, even if it’s just a little bit. You’re young. You should be trying new things.” I looked at her, then at the food, then at her again, and then at the chicken stew I was about to try. After each entree I tried, she asked how I felt about it. I left the restaurant with a full stomach and happy that I didn’t stare at food the whole time.

Had I avoided trying much of the options like I wanted to, I don’t think I would have enjoyed my time at the luncheon as much as I did. In fact, I’m not sure what I would have gained from that experience. Though the example above is a small one, I think it depicts the difference trying something makes. For me, that luncheon reminded me that some of the best times I’ve ever had stemmed from giving something new a shot.

Don’t get me wrong, trying does not mean you won’t fail. You probably will quite a few times and it will be uncomfortable because that’s a part of life. The beautiful things in life comes with the hardships, but the only way to find out if it worth it is through experience. That experience comes with trying things, even though it’s sometimes easier said than done.

So let this be your reminder to apply for the job, reach out to that person, or resume the passion project or whatever it is that speaks to you.

After all, you’ll never know until you try.

Happy New Year! I thought I’d start off 2022 with a post about trying out new things. It felt fitting enough. Hopefully there was something in my piece that resonated with or encouraged you.

Like I just said, trying something can be easier said than done, especially when there’s outside pressures (or pressure you put on yourself). And while taking a chance has sometimes backfired in my face, there were also times it led me to something amazing.

For the record, this is not your cue to be reckless and do things you know are bad for you. It is, however, a slight nudge for you to get out of your comfort zone (if you haven’t already). This is something that I’m still working on mastering myself so maybe our 2022 can include taking those chances, even when the initial thought of doing such a thing scares us.

Wishing you all the best,

Rhobie ❤

Reflection

by Rhobie Toussaint, posted in Experience

High School Graduation and Summer 2021: A Reflection

On June 2nd, 2021, I graduated High School. It felt kind of surreal, honestly. I made it there a few minutes after the ceremony started (I was supposed to be there one hour before it began), and had to quickly find my way to the other graduates so that I’d make it time for the march (which was, let me tell you, very stressful). So while speeches were being made, I was part listening and part recovering from the stress and the rush that came with being late.

From the handing of the diploma cover, to the picture taking, everything went by so quickly, and then suddenly, without enough time to process it all, I was a high school graduate. I went home that evening, took some more pictures, took all my regalia and graduation stuff off, changed into something else, and just sat there. It was weird.

Then, not even two weeks into my summer break, I attended orientation for my summer job as a camp counselor. Two weeks after that I had already started my summer class. A few weeks into working 40 hours a week and taking a class, I started working on co-founding an organization with a wonderful group of people located in different parts of the country. Needless to say, before I could even let it all sink in, I already immersed myself in other things (which also means this is the first time I’m actually sitting and reflecting about everything).

So here I am, on my bed, typing away and not knowing where this piece is even going. Most of what comes to mind is that two months after graduation, I am quite aware that I’m no longer a high schooler, but I also don’t really feel like an adult either. It’s like I’m in limbo, between what was my life before and life I’m about to live. I don’t really know what’s next, or if I’m even prepared for it, but I’m excited.

Before I close this out, here are a few things that I learned/ realized this summer.

  1. Working with kids after a year of being around little to no people can surely lead to one getting sick. Twice. It was a learning experience though.
  2. Interacting with other people is people is pretty cool. I didn’t realize how much I missed it. However, a lot of interacting in a short period of time can get draining.
  3. Mental health days are important and should be normalized.
  4. Trees are cute. I realized this a long time ago, but I just wanted to put that out there.

That’s all from me.

‘Till next time ❤

Better

by Rhobie Toussaint, posted in Creative Writing

better: a poem by rhobie

maybe it would be easier to just give up now

in the midst of what seems to be

endless trials and trials and tribulations

because everyday feels like a struggle;

every day is filled with constant pain.

maybe it would just be easier to call it quits

Hide and lock away before it gets too difficult,

It’s too uncontrollable

unmanageable and uncomfortable.

maybe it would just be easier to stop here,

To stop right now

because tomorrow and the day after that

Is a turmoil of never getting better.

but your story doesn’t have to end here now

you don’t have to avoid taking the risk

you don’t have to avoid love

because you’re afraid of heartbreak.

the best is yet to come

and better days are coming

if you fight for it

You will strive for it

and have faith that it will be.

I wrote this poem last weekend. Inspiration hit, and I was happy that it did because it has been a while since I’ve been writing consistently (life is crazy like that sometimes). Slowly but surely, I’m getting some things together, and part of that is simply writing more as it is my way to cope, express myself, help and inform others, and pass time.

I hope that the message in this piece resonates with anyone who needs it, or can serve as a source of reference when life gets difficult.

Here’s to perseverance, faith, and taking chances ❤