Inspirational speaker Ovi Vásquez told students how he overcame the odds and became a success during a recent event in the Retama Room on East Campus.
“I grew up in Guatemala in a poor village where I worked in the sugarcane fields,” Vásquez told students April 4. “I was just a normal farmboy who would milk the cows in the morning to add to my coffee.”
Vásquez, who has been published five times, gave each of the 25-30 attendees his latest book, “The Leader in You,” a self-memoir that doubles as a journal to write in.
Vásquez also shared tips with students on becoming successful during the event, sponsored by Student Leadership and Campus Life.
Del Mar student Priscilla Zapata, a Mexican native and DACA recipient, said she was inspired by Vásquez’s visit.
“It’s inspiring to hear the level you can achieve with the effort you put in,” Zapata said.
At the end of his speech, Vásquez offered $40 to an audience member willing to go up and take from him. The purpose was to teach the students if they want something, they have to go out and get it.
