Welcome to the KnolShare with Dr. Dave podcast, hosted on Grokshare.com and streamed on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify.   You are listening to Episode #EAFH-13 with Dr. Dave Cornelius, founder of the 5 Saturdays STEAM program.

Shifting Legacies

We often think of legacies as being that of
which belong to athletes, musicians, politicians, actors, and those in the
spotlight.  I can remember statistics of
Michael Jordan, Reggie Jackson, The Jackson Five albums, cyclist Lance
Armstrong, Whitney Houston, President Barack Obama, and many others. These
trend setters left an impression on certain aspects of my life.  I never think about my own legacy!

I wonder how many of you think about your own
legacy?  How will your family, friends,
and community reflect upon you now and in the future?

Parents, family members, and community leaders
have played the role of helping loved ones to shift legacy by sharing
encouraging words, creating safe spaces, and being available as mentors.  Some have paved the way by paying for college
and opening doors to careers that are only available through the familial
connection.  We see the benefits reaped
by those individuals in favor and how the possibility of their legacy is shifted
because of good fortune.

And then there are those who by no fault of
their own, do not have anyone to be their advocate or ally.  They do not have a roadmap to follow.  No doors are open for them and favors are often
expected to be repaid in ways that are inhumane.  I think of the kids without parents in the
gap years (16 to 18 years old) and they are no longer protected by the foster
care system.  I ask myself, what can I do
to help them with a roadmap or open a few doors that may shift their legacy?

The bigger question is do we want to stick
with the status quo or make changes that can shift legacies?

In 2007, the 44th
President of the United States during the democratic primary season began with
this talk of hope and change, peppered with statements of “yes we can – si se
puede”.  After Barack Obama was elected
as the 44th President of the United States, something that seemed so foreign
and unbelievable to me, I said “yes I can and yes I must”.  My goal was resolute, and my intentions were
clear.  As written, “To whom much is given,
much is expected”.

In 2009 I started to
ponder what if I used the talents that I have been given to help high school
students learn vocational skills that would potentially shift their legacy even
if it was for one generation.  High school
in my opinion is the scary time before reality sets in and we have to be
responsible for our own survival.  You
have to find your way by getting a job, going to college, joining the military,
or you know, figure something out. The goal was to introduce people
marginalized by economic limitations to a career in technology and business,
that was powered by agile practices.  The
goal was also to provide skills in job readiness and effective communications,
filling skills gap to be prepared for the job market with resumes and the
ability to communicate effectively.