Cabrera to Bring Positive Message to SCCC, Area Students

Nationally recognized Hispanic issues speaker Jimmy Cabrera will bring his positive energy to Liberal Nov. 29, with a series of appearances culminating in an evening event at 7 p.m. in the Seward County Community College Showcase Theater.

The motivational tour through the area is sponsored by the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI) under the leadership of Adrian Calderon. Well known for his high-energy, motivational presentations, Cabrera has been a professional speaker for over 35 years and speaks both in the educational and corporate communities. As a leader, his philosophy is, “Don’t count what you have, but what you have given — that total equals your success.”

SCCC Advising Coordinator Patsy Fischer worked with USHLI to set up the event.

“I’ve seen Jimmy speak at several conferences, and he is so dynamic and inspirational,” she said. “We are very fortunate to have him visit our campus, and I hope people from the community will come out on Tuesday night to hear him.”

Cabrera learned some tough lessons early in his life. As a Hispanic child, he was reared in a predominately segregated community in north Texas. Except for his parents, he recalls, he always had the feeling that no one cared.

“The system didn’t challenge me to be expressive nor think about setting goals,” he has shared. “I was even told that ‘my’ kind don’t go to college.”

Though he experienced bitter rejection and prejudice from a society that labeled him “different,” eventually he realized that “though you cannot forget the past and the pain, you can forgive, learn from it, and move on.”

Cabrera’s book, English version: “What’s In Your Backpack?  Packing for Success in Life” (Spanish version: “¿Qué Llevas En Tu Mochila?  Empácala Para Tener Una Vida De Éxito”) is a book that outlines eight powerful success tools anyone can apply to life.

During his tour through the area, Cabrera will speak at Liberal High School, Seymour Rogers Middle School, and Eisenhower Middle School in Liberal; Holcomb Middle and High Schools; Garden City High School; and Hooker (Okla.) High School and Middle School.