I came up with the idea for Stories2Inspiration when reflecting on my own journey. Hi, I’m Winston Tracy; as a first-generation college student, I had no idea what to expect my college experience to be like, let alone what route I wanted to take for a career or how my own interests could translate to a sustainable lifestyle after college. All I knew was that my parents, both military veterans, had worked hard to provide me with a comfortable life, but they always stressed that I had to attend college. But, I remember us not knowing what college I should attend, what major I should pursue, or what organizations I should be involved with. During college orientation, a family friend of mine leaned over to me and a few friends and told us, “Just graduate. Don’t get caught up with your GPA or other items, just graduate.”
Both my parents and my family friend set my friends and I up for success the best way they knew how, and frankly, it worked! Each of us have gone on to achieve things that we never thought we would. I have earned a Bachelor’s degree, a Master of Arts, and an MBA. I have moved into a financial bracket, and have a level of influence that I was not sure I would ever be given. My friends are equally as successful if not more so. We recognize that many individuals are not as fortunate as we have been, however, our path to success could have been made easier with a little more guidance.
Without any guidance, with “just graduate” echoing in my head, I found myself enrolling in majors and disciplines I had no interest in but that I had been told in so many ways were the pathways to the types of jobs I was supposed to have: Pre-med to be a doctor, Computer Engineering to be an engineer, Computer Science to get into the technology field. I had no idea what a career in consulting, sales, the arts, physical training, writing, and/or teaching meant or looked like. I did not understand that my wanting to connect and help others could be combined with my skill set in mathematics and help me have a great sales career. I never thought about what a career in sales could look like, because I never saw or spoke to anyone who looked like me in the field.
Sure, I had taken a self-assessment test or two, or three (actually four), talked to guidance counselors (for the 15-30 minutes they could find time), and spent time with my academic advisor, but none of these people provided real examples of a path that I could take. I could not see them, hear from them, or understand them in a way that reached me. I was essentially on my own.
As I said, I made it; I have achieved a life I am proud of that includes me talking to various audiences and giving back to various communities—and something happened. I found that by talking about my journey and experiences, audiences learned from me but also, I have the ability to engage with audiences and they with each other, and most importantly, we all learn from each other. And when I look at the people in my life, successful and inspiring in so many different ways –doctors, lawyers, teachers, athletes, counselors, parents, consultants -I realized, there are so many paths that each of us have taken and if each of us share our journey, honestly and passionately, we can not only provide others with knowledge they can use from the struggles that we have already faced, we can inspire them to be even better.
Happy Storytelling!
Stories 2 Inspiration 