Jaime Escalante, one
of the most
reveared Latino heroes says...
Anyone who has heard me speak or is familiar with my work as a teacher
from the movie Stand and Deliver knows that I don't believe in taking
no as an answer. When students say they can't possibly take advanced
calculus, I say, "why not?" When teens say they don't expect to go onto
college because no one in their family has ever done so, again I say,
"why not?"
Charles Garcia shares a similar view. While Charlie was fortunate enough
to come from a family of professionals who encouraged and supported
his educational efforts, his philosophy matches mine. After serving
in the military, holding government positions and training to become
an attorney, Charlie realized that he needed to do something else. Turning
his back on a potentially lucrative legal career, Charles started to
build his own business from scratch.
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Today, six years after starting his firm in a tiny office with just
two employees, SterlingFinancial is on solid footing. Charlie could
certainly spend more time with his family and focus on his business.
But he chooses instead to devote an enormous amount of his time, energy,
resources and money to a cause that he feels strongly about, a cause
that he is passionate about - education. It is through these efforts
that I have come to know Charles Garcia and respect him for all that
he is doing for the greater cause of education. Through an appointment
by Governor Jeb Bush to Florida's State Board of Education and President
George W. Bush's appointment to the Commission on Educational Excellence
for Hispanic Americans, a commission on which I also serve, Charlie
demonstrates by both word and deed his concern for helping others, particularly
young Hispanics, to make them make their dreams a reality.
Jaime Escalante - Subject of the major motion picture "Stand
and Deliver"
"Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to participate
in the Hispanic Business Conference. I believe we accomplished our objective
of forging a partnership between government and business to work together...
I hope, in the future, you are able to participate in similar events."
The Honorable Colin L. Powell
Secretary of State
Your personal anecdotes, timely and relevant business information,
and the key messages from your book, A Message from Garcia: Yes You
Can Succeed, resonated with our audience of over 750 participants. In
addition, the genuine interest you showed in helping people succeed
by providing the Web-based tool for personal goals gave participants
a tangible "takeaway" for their road to success. The long
line to have you sign books was evidence of the appreciation our members
had for your message. Thank you-mil gracias-for helping to make our
conference a success.
Bernadette F. Martinez
Verizon
On behalf of ING, I have engaged Charles Garcia as a keynote speaker
at a number of conventions that our company has sponsored. Specifically,
Charles was the keynote speaker for the National Association of Bilingual
Education, the National PTA Convention, and next year will keynote the
American Association of School Administrators. Charles' message is too
important and too valuable not to share. Charles is a successful Hispanic
in the financial world with a mission and a message of improving lives,
and his bestseller, A Message from Garcia, is an uplifting and moving
book that redefines the concept of success and
how to achieve it.
Ricardo L. Valencia
Senior Vice President - ING
Thank you for your generosity in sharing your insights and views as
a Power Breakfast speaker at the 2003 National Minority Supplier Development
Council Conference. Knowing of your hectic schedule and many other commitments,
I appreciate your making the time and effort to participate. The positive
feedback has been gratifying and our participants left enthused about
NMSDC and about minority business development.
Harriet R. Michel
President - National Minority Supplier Development Council
Of course, the goal of every keynote is to be inspiring and motivating.
However, your presentation went beyond just words. It instilled a sense
of urgency, and even more importantly, action steps to this thirsty
audience of nearly 1,500 bright, eager students and young business professionals.
You gave them a great gift: tools they were able to take from your talk
and use right away. We heartily endorse you for any group seeking an
inspiring speaker, but even more so for an organization looking for
ways to increase productivity, morale, and a greater sense of self-satisfaction
for its associates.
Karen Cascioli
Capital One
Charles Garcia's story, combined with his presentation, made everyone
believers: believers that the American Dream is well within the grasp
of anyone who tries and has a plan. Sure, the audience hung on every
word, but there was more to it than that. The audience was truly moved
to action. In one sentence, Mr. Garcia rallied the troops, equipped
them for battle, and then sent them off to conquer their own success.
Dr. Edwin Garcia
Chief Executive Officer - National Society of Hispanic MBAs
It is very important for us to find opinion leaders who do not only
speak about success from a hypothetical point of view, but from their
own experiences as well. In your lecture we found clear examples of
your own success, making the information we are providing to our customers
much more credible and realistic, and thus enhancing the quality of
our conference. On a personal level, it is very pleasing to find a speaker
who has reached success and manages to keep his feet on the ground.
Our attendees were pleased to find someone who is easy to relate to,
someone who does not seem out of reach.
Fernando Moncayo
Executive Vice President - Maruri Comunicaciones
You, Sir, were the proverbial breathe, gust, cyclone of fresh air. On behalf of the room full of cheering admirers let me thank you. You lifter the spirits of all present with your faith, humor and "leadership by example." Needless to say, you have hundreds more in your already immense (millions) fan club! I feel blessed and privileged to have shared the stage with you.
Bonnie McElveen-Hunter - American Red Cross