Students Encouraged to ' Do What You Love to Do'

"You can always change, depending on what you really want to do."

This article on James was featured in the Miami Herald on Sunday, January 16, 2000.

The message was loud and clear at Charles W. Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines on Wednesday morning.

Say out loud what you love to do, don't let negativity stand in your way, then find a way to make a career out of it.

The Horatio Alger Youth Seminar, organized by seniors Amy Collado, Clarisbelle Diaz, Maria Hernandez, Shareka Smith and other students of the Institute of Business and Entrepreneurship, had nearly 500 students on their feet and claiming their futures.

``The purpose was to touch as many students as possible with the message to reach for the stars, overcome adversity, and meet the challenges in their lives,'' said teacher and institute coordinator Christine Danner.

Guest speaker James Amps III, a Pembroke Pines author and motivational speaker, offered his story about his dreams of becoming a football player. They were dashed by his father's demand that he join the Navy.

Amps' early discharge for bad conduct was followed by a series of odd jobs that included cemetery salesman and arcade attendant.

"You can always change, depending on what you really want to do, "Amps told the students. "When you think about careers, don't question what do you want to be when you grow up. Ask what do you love to do?"

Danner said the idea for the program came from the Horatio Alger Foundation, a nonprofit education organization named for Alger, who in the 1800s wrote popular novels about real people who overcome hardships to achieve the American dream.

The foundation, established in 1947, honors high school students and American citizens who overcome adversity with success and give back to the community.

Three Flanagan students were granted Horatio Alger scholarships in November.

The recipients - Ara Galarza (Student Achievement Scholar, $500), Clarisbelle Diaz (Horatio Alger State Scholar, $1,500), and Bryant Villasana (National Scholar, $10,000) - received plaques at the end of the seminar.

Institute of Business and Entrepreneurship students began planning for the seminar in September. All aspects of the event, including finding sponsors, contacting local media, providing entertainment, and hosting a luncheon afterward, were organized by students.

"We made a promise to the foundation to spread the word, and we did,"

Clarisbelle said. Written by Columnist: Eileen Soler
Published: Sunday, January 16, 2000
Copyright 2000 Miami Herald