Trustee Inspires Students through Storytelling

Keeping the attention of about 300 middle school students near the end of a long school day might prove to be a daunting task, but MISD School Board Trustee, Raul Gonzalez certainly stood up to the challenge on the afternoon of October 12.

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15), Gonzalez delivered a presentation to the seventh grade students at Coble Middle School. He talked to them about the rich Hispanic culture in his hometown of El Paso, explaining that family, hard work and determination were fundamental values in his upbringing.

He highlighted the importance of work ethic as he proudly told the story of how his father worked his way up through the ranks at the Post Office until he became the Postmaster, with only a high school education. His father’s tremendous work ethic taught him to persevere in his own job at a law firm, where he has worked for 28 years and is now the Director of Administration.

Gonzalez encouraged students to take advantage of the opportunities surrounding them and to never use the words “I can’t.” After delivering a captivating message about culture, values and hard work, he left the students with one final lesson, “We all come from different backgrounds, but we must always work together.”

(The 8th Grade Advanced Boys Choir kicked off the assembly with their performance of "Viva Tutti")