Sometimes in our journeys we meet people that move us with the simple "tell me about yourself." During a lunch between Micayah and Leri, a connection was establish about shared lived experience. Needless to say, the conversation has moved to Breaking Pan and we are excited to share Micayah's story with you! Get your cafe and tune in for this story about a trailblazer at Georgia Tech!

Bio:

As a second-year student at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Micayah Taye has a lot to say about her experience about going through the school system throughout the years. She was born and raised from Douglasville, GA of metro Atlanta, and has started a new journey of moving to the city of Atlanta for school. Being a first-generation American of Ethiopian parents, she speaks about her perspective of her family, heritage, and overall being of living as a 19-year-old navigating new adulthood. As a new Business Administration IT major, she is in the making of finding her true passions and desired milestones. However, she is already formulating these things by being involved in her communities and working on her career and personal goals every day.

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we broke tortas with an honoree of the 50 Most Influential Latinos from the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce- Señor Hector Gutierrez! Get your cafecito and join us as we talk about Hector's career in education, taking a leap into politics, and navigating life's hurdles. Hector is a mentor to many and a community leader for his town of Forest Park. We can say so much about this guy, but we will let you listen!

Here is a little bit about Hector:

"Bilingual Community Schools Coordinating Supervisor and Army Veteran with over 10 years of proven experience providing leadership and training to children and adults. Developed and maintained positive relationships within schools, businesses, and the local communities. His educational background includes a Specialist in Educational Leadership from the University of West Georgia, a Master's in Teaching from Georgia State University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Kennesaw State University in World History and Cultures and Spanish Language and Literature. Hector is also a proud member of Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society.

After an 8-month hiatus, Profe and Leri reunite! They catch up and share lessons learned from their time away from the mic. Get your cafecito and tune in for this conversation. A lot has happened- life, the supreme court, promotions, and more!

In this episode, Profe chats with two former mentees and current graduate students at one of Georgia's top institutions! Madison Rodriguez and Ximena Luna share bits of their lives and dive into their journeys as current students.

Here is a little bit about our guests:

-Madison Rodriguez is a Mexican-American, first-generation college student. She is currently in her second year of the School Psychology PhD program at the University of Georgia. Her research interests focus on the ethnic identity and mental health in Latinx students, the experiences of multilingual students in K-12 education, and increasing school-based mental health resources to all students.

-Ximena Luna is a first-generation Mexican American and a MA student in the Department of Romance languages at the University of Georgia. She is passionate about engagement, outreach, diversity, and inclusion. Her research interests are Latinx Studies. After completing her MA in Latinx Studies, she hopes to continue supporting students in higher education to reach their fullest potential.

Money is never a fun topic to have, but we must have it! Join Profe y Leri as we discuss money and how we are saving to take care of our loved ones. By no means are we financial advisor, so take our insight with caution, and we encourage everyone to connect with a financial advisor! 

Break out of the café and tune in for this real conversation with a Latina First-Gen Leader in the business sector. She shares with us her story of triumph and self-doubt, ultimately coming to her realization of self-awareness and authenticity at a young age. As Mac Miller once declared, "No matter where life takes me, find me with a smile. Pursuit to be happy, only laughing like a child." This lyric resonates with Ana's story so tune in to see how. 

Born in Colombia, Ana Maria Villegas is a first-generation college graduate and professional. She graduated from Georgia State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics fully funded by merit scholarships. She finds great interest in analyzing the reasoning behind decisions and using data to predict and plan for a better future, which drew her to the study of economics. Now, she has joined one of the world’s largest consulting firms where she proudly represents Latinas in Business. Ana is also an advocate for first-generation students, aiming to provide the resources and mentoring they need to achieve their career aspirations. With her passion for DEI, she serves as a board member of the Georgia First Generation Foundation and actively volunteers and leads several DEI efforts. Ana enjoys training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in her free time, a martial art that challenges her physically and mentally. Many would describe Ana as a reliable, ambitious, and joyful young woman.

Trigger Warning: Discussion and/or mention of death and suicide in this episode. 

Death can be challenging for a lot of us to process. In this episode, we discuss our grief process and what we notice in our community regarding death. Profe y Leri gets deep on this one. 

It has been awhile since Profe y Leri sat down and caught back up on Breaking Pan. A lot has happened in the past few months, but on this episode we discuss the importance of role models in our community and some observations we have noticed. We get real on this topic and discuss the "90 percent."  

There is no lie that we all at times battle imposter syndrome. Get your cafecito and join Profe y Leri in a conversation about being first-generation and underrepresented in higher education. We will look through the lens of those that work in this field both on the staff and faculty sides. 

As a wise man once said, "it is a scientific fact that gratitude reciprocates." One of our hosts had the pleasure to be interviewed by our guest so it was only right that we invite him over for some café. 

Charbel Aoun is the Founding President and CEO of the Georgia First Generation Foundation, a nonprofit organization championing first-generation student success within Gwinnett County. Charbel is a first-generation Pharmacy student from a Middle Eastern immigrant family who received many accolades throughout his career, recognizing his accomplishments in healthcare and education. More recently, he was recognized by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce as an Emerging Entrepreneur and by Gwinnett Young Professionals as a finalist of Gwinnett’s 35 Under 35. Charbel earned his Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Georgia State University in 2018 as a Coca-Cola First Generation Scholar and was awarded over $55,000 in scholarship funds. He currently attends PCOM Georgia where he earned Master of Science Degrees in Biomedical Sciences and Organizational Development & Leadership and is now a Doctor of Pharmacy degree candidate.