A lively crowd of 100 sat together to listen to guest speaker Ovi Vasquez talk about his success story on Tuesday, April 16.
The Hispanic/Latino Cultural Center invited Vasquez, a national keynote speaker, to speak to Ferris students. Along with several Ferris students in the crowd, three high schools around Michigan attended the event.
Vasquez was born in Guatemala on a small farm. He came to America to help his mother work but decided to go to school and get an education despite objections from his mother.
After moving to the United States, he had to work and go to school while having to learn English at 17. He ended up being able to graduate high school in three years and go to college.
Throughout his speech, he spoke about how, despite all the hardships in his youth, he continued to push forward and become the successful man he is today.
He has worked for multiple large corporations, including Tesla, Uber, Apple and General Motors. He currently makes over $600,000 a year traveling across the United States, telling his story to inspire people.
He believes that telling his life story helps students plan their lives for the better.
“The story, situations or strategies I share brings light to [students] path,” Vasquez said. “We can change lives that way.”
In 2023, only 6% of students at Ferris identified as Hispanic or Latino. HLCC director Sonia Treviño believes that Ferris needs representation for Hispanic/Latino students on campus to share the same cultural background and experiences.
“This message is something that is said over and over again,” Treviño said. “To see it in action, with someone who looks like them and talks like them, is very inspirational.”
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Finance senior Lianna Moodie works for the HLCC. She believes it’s important for students to meet people with similar backgrounds on campus to help them feel like they are not alone.
“Having representation on campus shows [students] that they belong and serves as a motivator,” Moodie said. “You’re going to want to strive for that same excellence.”
In the crowd, both high school and Ferris students interacted with Vasquez by cheering and finishing his sentences throughout his speech.
Nursing freshman Cynthia Marcelino came to listen to Vasquez speak. She thought that it was great to be able to see someone from her culture share their story.
“I like how I can relate to Hispanic culture and know that no matter where you are from you can still make it,” Marcelino said. “It really helps knowing that he’s Hispanic, I’m Hispanic and if he can make it, I can make it.”
Vasquez emphasized that it does not matter whether he has an accent or comes from a poor village in Guatemala during his speech. He also wanted the audience to know to break away from any limits that people hold them to.
Social work senior Stephanie Ramos believed that Vasquez kept her and the high schoolers engaged during the whole speech while also helping her believe that she could achieve her goals.
“At Ferris, there are not many representations when it comes to speeches,” Ramos said. “It’s a good way to connect with the students and relate to them.”
At the end of the speech, Vasquez gave the three most interactive audience members a Starbucks gift card and took pictures with the students.
Vasquez also has scholarship opportunities for students worth $4,000,000 on his app, “OVinspires Scholarships.”
Updates on HLCC events can be found on their Instagram @ferrishlcc.
C.E. C.F. / AM