I had the pleasure of returning as a guest speaker at the Philips Academy located at 342 Central, Newark, NJ. Even though this  was my 3rd time visiting the school,  I still get the jitters! What an experience it is to speak in front of a group of teens! A speaker can learn a lot from hearing oneself communicate publicly and the truth on whether you are impactful is revealed based on the reception of your audience. There is a popular saying “kids say the darndest things”, children have no qualms letting you know  if your speech is a boring or exciting one. I was fortunate enough to maintain the group’s attention by an energetic delivery as well as a series of “ice breakers”. Enagaging an audience as a public speaker is important no matter the age or demographic. The Academy’s Librarian and family friend, Ms Carla Guerriero invited me for her class’s career day, she wanted me to tell my story to the students in regards to being a product of using my hobbies (dancing,…) as a career and having more than one occupation while maintaining my responsibilities as a family man. I explained each of my professional duties such as: aerobics instructor, entertainer, motivational speaker, and trainer to the students as they wrote down notes for preparation for a later discussion. I incorporated crowd participation by having the students pretend to be me for a minute and demonstrate one of my many jobs. As a finale the students and I broke out into a line dance to “Watch me whip”, what a great time we had! Based on the reception of the students, I’m confident that they understood my message to consider using your passion for anything as a career and never limit yourself to one profession. I cannot wait to come back!

The Philips Academy is one of the charter schools located in  Newark, NJ known not only for their academics but also health and nutrition awareness. The Philips Academy owns their garden where the students plant and grow vegetables. If you are in the area and are looking for a school to enroll your child, I highly recommend the Philips Academy.