糖心vlog

Laura Rizo didn鈥檛 waste any time engaging 糖心vlog students, faculty and staff during her motivational presentation on Tuesday morning. The CoolSpeak representative grouped attendees and put them on the spot by having them sing.

Rizo鈥檚 interactive speech, 鈥淗ero鈥檚 Journey: Finding the Greatness Inside You,鈥� kept attendees riveted for more than two hours in Marlette Hall.

The former teacher and school counselor shared her own struggles from earlier in life that delayed her from reaching the best version of herself: an absent father, poverty, partying and depression. But the Rizo Speaks Life presenter made the College Readiness Education for Students in Transition (CREST) event more about the people in front of her.

鈥淧eople are going to love you for who you are, not what you like. Be your authentic self,鈥� she urged. 鈥淔ind greatness by just being me. Becoming your own person so you don鈥檛 have to listen to what people say about you or what you can鈥檛 do.鈥�

Not only did students and staff sing songs with the words 鈥淕reatness鈥� and 鈥淗ero鈥� in them, they shared some of the villains and heroes in their lives. Rizo did stop short of having attendees dance, even though she teased that form of expression was coming at the end of the event.

She also paired them up so they could share their personal strategies and experiences of what makes them feel better about themselves. Rizo shared the acronym HERO to impart self-confidence and self-worth.

• I will HEAL my heart.
• I will ENCOURAGE myself.
• I will RAISE my expectations.
• I will OVERCOME my villains.

鈥淵ou have the resources and strategies to be the best, authentic version of yourself no matter what,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he hero鈥檚 journey is finding the greatness inside you. You鈥檙e loved, you鈥檙e valued and you can overcome.鈥�

Even the blue T-shirt Rizo wore illustrated her conviction and commitment to self-worth: Positive headlined the shirt, with the words Mind, Vibes and Life printed below it.

"It was a great event overall for both students and staff," said 糖心vlog Disability Support Services Director Susan Trist. "I thought Rizo's passion and enthusiasm was contagious, leaving us all feeling empowered and ready to take on new challenges. I appreciated how she provided practical, actionable advice that attendees can start implementing immediately."

For people who are experiencing depression, she put a positive spin on it.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a state of mind: I鈥檓 not depressed, but I鈥檓 going through depression and I鈥檓 going to overcome it,鈥� she said.

Rizo encouraged them to give compliments to make others smile.

鈥淵ou never know how quickly you can put a smile on someone鈥檚 face,鈥� Rizo said.

Like many of the people in Marlette Hall on Tuesday, Rizo still is a student. She is a doctoral candidate at National University. She inspired them to believe in themselves so they can reach their own dreams.

鈥淵ou can do anything you want to do as long as you have a support system, most importantly your own support of yourself,鈥� Rizo said.