Loving Where You're From | Emilio Joubert | TEDxGeorgetown
## Speaker Context * Speaker identity: Speaker (Unnamed, giving a talk). * Audience, setting, occasion of the talk: Unknown, appears to be a formal presentation/talk. * Any framing the speaker establishes for themselves up front: Loves where they are from; mentions the sweet sounds of bachata merengue wrapping around while listening to the dialectical mix of English and Spanish. ## People * Sibling: Mentioned as being in the front row. * Older cousin Omar: Went on a joyride with the speaker in Bradford. * Mom (Speaker's mother): Diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer; was later able to relapsed for the third time. * Dad (Speaker's father): Originally owned Diamond Auto Detailing; experienced declining mental health; eventually led to family moving. * Grandparents: Provided stability when the parents were struggling; eventually became caregivers/support system. * Sister (Speaker's sister): Experienced life events with the speaker (e.g., joyrides, later moved with the speaker). * The person at the front desk (at Governors Academy): Made good friends with the speaker's mother and grandmother. * Sister Mary Alice: A person who was at Notre Dame Cristo Rey; drove the speaker to school one time; later became a mentor. * Deb Wall: Mentioned as an inspiring mentor. * Tony Messina: Mentioned as an inspiring mentor. * Tanya George's people: Mentioned as people who came to the speaker's house and believed in him. * President of the high school: Mentioned in relation to Sister Mary Alice's quote. ## Organizations * Lawrence, Massachusetts: City where the speaker loves; where the dad connected and they found a condominium. * Haverhill, Massachusetts: City where the speaker was originally born and grew up in. * Hillview Montessori charter public school: School the speaker attended in Haverhill. * Bradford: City where the speaker moved from Haverhill. * Diamond Auto Detailing: Business originally owned by the speaker's father. * The 90 the knotty pine motel: Motel where the family stayed after being kicked out from a home. * Nickelodeon: Channel where the episode of Avatar The Last Airbender was shown. * Governors Academy: Top school the speaker applied to in Byfield, Massachusetts. * Catholic schools: General category of schools the speaker later attended after not getting into Governors Academy. * Notre Dame Cristo Rey: High school that proved very affordable to the speaker. * CW SP (Corporate Work-Study Program): Program that makes Notre Dame Cristo Rey affordable. * Nuance Communications: Tech firm where the speaker interned. * Our q link: Cancer research company where the speaker interned. * Emerson ecologic: Health company where the speaker interned. * Keurig Green Mountain: Company where the speaker interned and drank a lot of coffee. * Georgetown: University the speaker got into. * Department of Education: Place where the speaker worked an internship during senior year at Georgetown. * Instagram: Company where the speaker will be working full time the following year. ## Places * Lawrence, Massachusetts: City where the speaker loves; where the dad connected and they found a condominium. * Haverhill, Massachusetts: City where the speaker was originally born and grew up in. * Emerson Street: Specific street in Haverhill where the speaker grew up. * Bradford: City where the speaker lived after leaving Haverhill. * Salisbury, Massachusetts: Location of the 90 the knotty pine motel. * Massachusetts: State, mentioned generally. * Byfield, Massachusetts: Location of Governors Academy. * Florida (implied by context of "beach"): Referenced when describing Salisbury, Massachusetts. ## Tools, Tech & Products * Pamphlet/Book: Given to the speaker by his mother when she was diagnosed with cancer. ## Concepts & Definitions * Bachata merengue: Music style associated with the speaker's love for the culture. * English and Spanish: Languages spoken in the area, mixed in the soundscape. * Stage 4 breast cancer: Diagnosis suffered by the speaker's mother. * Wait-listed: Status received from Governors Academy application. * Corporate work-study program (CW SP): Program that allows students at Notre Dame Cristo Rey to work to pay tuition. ## Numbers & Data * Three or four hours: Approximate duration the men played Domino's in Lawrence. * One thousand hours: Estimated hours the speaker spent swimming in the public pool in Bradford. * A million splinters: Estimated splinters the speaker got from walking barefoot in Bradford. * Seven or eight: Age of the speaker when his mother was diagnosed with cancer. * Five minutes: Duration of one argument that the speaker and his sister endured. * Ten minutes: Duration of a longer argument the speaker and his sister endured. * Fifteen minutes: Duration of an even longer argument the speaker and his sister endured. * Twenty minutes: Duration of the longest argument the speaker and his sister endured. * Three or four weeks: Time elapsed between the difficult period and receiving the letter from Governors Academy. * Third time: Number of times the speaker's mother relapsed. * 40 minutes: Time the speaker was late for school on the day his mother had a bad night. * Seven years: Time period mentioned when Sister Mary Alice recalled the conversation. * One to two days a week: Frequency students attend Notre Dame Cristo Rey for work. * $12,000: Approximate cost of attendance at one Catholic school in the Lawrence area. * $6,000: Amount of financial aid offered for the Catholic school. * $1,000: Additional financial aid amount given by the school after speaking with the president. * $7,000: Total amount the speaker was left with after aid considerations. * $1,000 a year: Cost the speaker was able to pay for Notre Dame Cristo Rey. ## Claims & Theses * The speaker loves where he is from, which is the only thing he ever talked about. * The speaker was originally born in and grew up in a city called Haverhill, Massachusetts. * The speaker ended up moving in with his grandparents for stability. * The speaker must have spent about a thousand hours swimming in the public pool in Bradford. * The speaker went on approximately one joyride with his older cousin Omar. * The speaker would hear his parents saying the word cancer late at night when the lights were off. * My mom was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. * My dad lost Diamond Auto Detailing at the same time she was diagnosed with cancer. * The arguments between the dad and grandparents never lasted very long, maybe five minutes or maybe ten. * The speaker decided to go downstairs during a long argument night. * We either slept in the truck which we so affectionately called Bruno or snowflake or we ended up moving into a place called the 90 the knotty pine motel in Salisbury Massachusetts. * The key to getting out and changing my life was education. * The top school the speaker truly cared about is Governors Academy in Byfield, Massachusetts. * The two strongest woman that I know are my mom and my grandma. * The most important moment of my life was just that completely normal one day. * Notre Dame Cristo Rey high school is a high school that's very affordable to students such as myself. * There's a four-letter acronym that explains why it's able to be so affordable: CW SP. * Students who attend Notre Dame Cristo Rey are able to work one to two days a week in order to help pay off their tuition. * The most important piece of growing up for me was education. * It is because of mentorship that I'm able to be here and to succeed beyond all measures. * If you all become a mentor for somebody else you can change somebody's life. ## Mechanisms & Processes * The process of moving from a potential unstable environment (Haverhill "yellow house") to stability with grandparents (who both had good jobs). * The procedure of the family packing their bags after the dad got kicked out. * The mechanism of using a "four-letter acronym" (CW SP) to explain the affordability of the high school tuition. * The process of working one to two days a week to help pay off tuition at Notre Dame Cristo Rey. * The procedure of the speaker showing up to school 40 minutes late after his mother had a bad night. * The realization of the impact of mentorship, where people who believed in him allowed him to become the person speaking. ## Timeline & Events * Childhood (Haverhill): Lived in a yellow house, characterized by police knocks. * Childhood (Grandparents' house): Period of saving up money; attending Hillview Montessori charter public school. * Childhood (Bradford): Spent about a thousand hours swimming in the public pool; got splinters; went on a joyride with Omar. * During spending time in Bradford: Hearing parents say "cancer" at night. * Approximately one week after hearing "cancer": Mother diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. * At the same time mother diagnosed: Father lost Diamond Auto Detailing. * Sometime later: Family moved back in with grandparents. * Period of decline: Dad's mental health started to slip, leading to arguments. * One cold night in December: Argument lasted 20 minutes, leading the speaker to go downstairs. * Night of being kicked out: Family slept in the truck (Bruno or snowflake) or moved to the 90 the knotty pine motel in Salisbury Massachusetts. * During this time: Watching the episode of Avatar The Last Airbender (episode 3: the southern air temple). * Later: Finding a condominium in Lawrence, Massachusetts. * Later: Mother relapsed after beating cancer for the first time. * Later: Speaker realized education was the key to changing his life, leading to studying harder in middle school. * Eighth grade: Time to apply for schools. * Governors Academy interview: Occurred after the speaker and his mother visited the school. * After three or four weeks: Letter arrived confirming a wait-listed status from Governors Academy. * A day after the wait-listed news: Dad saw the symbol "NDCR" on a worker's shirt at a local bodega. * Later: Speaker attended Notre Dame Cristo Rey. * Senior Year: Worked internships at Nuance Communications, Our q link, Emerson ecologic, and Keurig Green Mountain. * Last day of the summer training program at Notre Dame Cristo Rey: Speaker arrived 40 minutes late. * Seven years later: Sister Mary Alice recounted the conversation. * Recently: Speaker's mother passed away in a hospice room. * After graduation from Notre Dame Cristo Rey: Speaker ran away from his father and lived with his grandparents. * Currently: Speaker is a senior at Georgetown. * Next year: Speaker will be working full time at Instagram. ## Examples & Cases * The yellow house in Haverhill, Massachusetts: Described as a crack house where the speaker remembered police knocks. * The public pool in Bradford: Where the speaker estimates spending a thousand hours swimming. * The joyride with older cousin Omar: An event in Bradford. * The episode of Avatar The Last Airbender (episode 3: the southern air temple): Used as a metaphor for the family's situation. * The condominium in Lawrence, Massachusetts: Found by the dad, described as looking nice outside but falling apart inside, located behind a nightclub. * The instance of the dad seeing the "NDCR" symbol on a workers' shirt: Led to the realization about Notre Dame Cristo Rey. * The internships: Nuance Communications (tech firm), Our q link (cancer research company), Emerson ecologic (health company), and Keurig Green Mountain. ## Trade-offs & Alternatives * Staying in the "yellow house" in Haverhill vs. moving with grandparents. * Living in the initial stable place vs. losing everything and moving to the 90 the knotty pine motel in Salisbury Massachusetts. * Being in a stable environment (condo in Lawrence) vs. complex problems occurring in the back (mother relapsing). * Applying to Governors Academy vs. being wait-listed/finding Notre Dame Cristo Rey. * Doing nothing/struggling vs. realizing education was the key to changing life. ## Counterarguments & Caveats * The speaker stating, "I didn't fully understand what the word cancer meant." * The speaker noting, "I was really bad at [handshakes] at first." * The speaker stating, "I'm pretty sure everybody got an interview [at Governors Academy] but for me it felt like a big deal." * The speaker noting, "I never would have thought that seven years in the future I could have an impact." * The speaker acknowledging, "I wish that I could do the same thing now that I'm older but alas 13 was where I peaked." * The speaker stating, "I'm not gonna call any of any schools out [regarding the local Catholic schools]." * The speaker admitting, "I ran away from my father." ## Methodology * The process of recalling and structuring memories through storytelling, moving from early life events to current status. * The method of using personal experience to draw out a guiding principle (the importance of mentorship). ## References Cited * The episode of Avatar The Last Airbender (episode 3: the southern air temple) shown on Nickelodeon. ## Conclusions & Recommendations * The speaker's message: To always try your hardest to become somebody's mentor. * Final advice: If you all become a mentor for somebody else you can change somebody's life. * Imparting thought: If it wasn't for those people who came together and believed in me when it felt like I had nothing left that I wouldn't be half the man that I am. ## Implications & Consequences * Without mentorship: The speaker believes he would not be the man he is today. * If the family had not faced hardship: The speaker's life journey and the lessons learned would be different. ## Open Questions * What the speaker's mother said to him when he mentioned her lung collapse during the drive home with Sister Mary Alice. ## Verbatim Moments * "The sweet sounds of bachata merengue wrapping around you as you listen to the dialectical mix of English and Spanish." * "I just know that not too long after that my mom walked up to me... and said that she was gonna start losing hair and losing weight." * "I can't think of a more apt metaphor for what's going on in our lives during that time." * "I realized that the key to getting out the key to changing my life was education." * "It was because of her and because of the corporate work-study program that I was able to succeed excuse me succeed and thrive during my time in high school." * "My message to all of you for this talk that I have which has been such an honor is to always try your hardest to become somebody's mentor." * "I feel like a younger version of myself would attribute the success that I've had today with my own skill with the things that I put together with how hard I worked."