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Breaking Barriers and Helping Students Find Their Passion: Meet Alicia Sepulveda
I grew up in a small, rural town in central Florida. I knew I always wanted to make a difference in the world, but I had little guidance or confidence that I could be a changemaker.
I went to Florida State University as a lost, but hopeful first-generation student where during my junior year, I met a professor (reluctantly! I was scared to go to office hours) who changed my life trajectory. This small choice led to one of the most important decisions of my life. My professor, spent approximately 3 total hours helping me understand the benefits of graduate school, the application process, and just simply believing in me. It was minimal time, but profoundly impacted my decision to pursue graduate school. He helped me see that I was capable of more. Dr. Kranz believed in my ability to be successful, and walked me through the application process.
One of my biggest life lessons - Never underestimate the changemaking capability you have. One conversation, one simple statement, one relationship with someone who believes in you may be all it takes. One person really can make a huge difference in the life of another human. I intend to spend the rest of my life dedicated to helping others improve their own lives. Because we all deserve to experience happiness, joy, and belonging.
After graduate school I worked in Higher Education for many years and developed a love for coaching college students. I loved helping young people build relationships, become more confident in themselves, clarify their goals, and take action steps toward them. My work in coaching helped me become a better person and think more critically about what I wanted in my own life.
I later pursued my PhD in Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership at University of Northern Colorado. During my PhD, I became interested in entrepreneurship and wanted to explore my earning potential while still trying to make a difference in the world. I worked on building an entrepreneurial mindset (because I definitely did not have it), increased my confidence, and started taking bigger risks. I ended up launching the College Life podcast, was the Founder of a non-profit called the Coaching in Higher Education Consortium and have worked in an education technology startup. I now work at University of Colorado Boulder for the RADD Lab (Research on Affective and Developmental Disorders) in the Psychology and Neuroscience department. I support research operations and am building a new Center on campus to prevent and treat youth depression.
During my experience attending the Global Minded conference several years ago, I met a woman who helped me explore my interest in entrepreneurship and connected me with people who eventually gave me an incredible professional opportunity and position! The connections that young people can make at the Global Minded conference are so powerful. The business and community leaders who attend seek out opportunities to help the first-generation students. The students who attend the GlobalMindED Conference are incredible, have resilience, and are hungry for opportunities. Often, they aren't sure where to start. That's where you come in! I'm also looking to get the College Life podcast to more college students. The podcast is specifically for college students who want to make a difference in the world - for those who know that they are meant to do something that matters but aren’t sure what that is quite yet or how to make it happen. We interview current college students, recent graduates, and inspiring guests to share their stories and empower young people to make college their own. If you work with young people, please share this free resource or recommend a current student as a guest at thecollegelifecoach@gmail.com. And I look forward to meeting you at the next GlobalMindED Conference next June 16,17 & 18th.
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