Talking about how you kind of
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00:00:01.334 --> 00:00:04.871 grew up in that, like, you know, different two different worlds.
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00:00:05.305 --> 00:00:09.776 Was there like a particular, like, realization where that really made
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00:00:09.776 --> 00:00:13.880 you like, I want to do this, I want to do, and involve my work.
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00:00:13.880 --> 00:00:16.082 And, you know, kind of promoting that?
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00:00:16.082 --> 00:00:19.085 When I was a kid, you know, I just wanted to fit in.
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00:00:19.552 --> 00:00:21.221 I didn't want to be teased.
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00:00:21.221 --> 00:00:22.989 I wanted to have friends.
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00:00:22.989 --> 00:00:25.992 I wanted to, feel like I belong.
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00:00:26.192 --> 00:00:31.192 And I think that, gave me this whole idea that in order to fit
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00:00:31.698 --> 00:00:34.701 in, you know, from one community to another community,
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00:00:35.001 --> 00:00:37.237 I needed to spend most of my time listening.
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00:00:37.237 --> 00:00:40.006 And in listening, I could figure out,
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00:00:40.006 --> 00:00:44.110 how people were talking and what language they were using.
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00:00:44.110 --> 00:00:46.579 And you know what was interesting?
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00:00:46.579 --> 00:00:50.150 And that way that would give me the opportunity to just find a way
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00:00:50.250 --> 00:00:51.618 of belonging.
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00:00:51.618 --> 00:00:54.854 And, you know, I think what I've learned over the years
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00:00:54.854 --> 00:00:58.391 is that, working on oneself is really important.
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00:00:58.391 --> 00:01:03.391 And, it's an opportunity to always try to be on this journey of self-improvement.
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00:01:05.065 --> 00:01:08.268 But I think that, at some point you got to get out.
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00:01:08.935 --> 00:01:11.304 And you're going to engage other people.
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00:01:11.304 --> 00:01:15.341 And if you don't have the ability and the skills to be able to do that,
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00:01:15.575 --> 00:01:18.745 then people are going to approach that situation with fear.
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00:01:19.045 --> 00:01:21.081 I think there's such an opportunity.
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00:01:21.081 --> 00:01:24.084 Purely by listening to somebody else's story
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00:01:24.217 --> 00:01:29.217 to get out of myself, and find a way to participate in somebody else's life.
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00:01:30.156 --> 00:01:33.693 And connect to something bigger than myself, which, frankly,
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00:01:33.726 --> 00:01:38.064 makes my own problems, and the issues that I'm dealing with seem a lot smaller.
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00:01:38.765 --> 00:01:40.934 Right. I'm part of a bigger story.
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00:01:40.934 --> 00:01:45.405 And that's sort of part of why I believe, and I'm committed to giving opportunity
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00:01:45.405 --> 00:01:48.274 for young people. Because that opportunity was given to me.
 

2025 SXSW Conference
Interviewed in Austin, TX but works in Chicago, IL USA.
advanced-degree

Work hard at learning the basics of whatever it is you want to do. If you're really good at the basics, then people can rely on you, which can help open a lot of doors.

I lead external affairs at the Obama Foundation, where I build partnerships, connect with stakeholders, and support young leaders through My Brother’s Keeper. My days are filled with storytelling, guiding youth to lead change, and helping shape a future that honors those who came before us. Every day, I get to work alongside people creating the world I hope to grow old in.

Executive Vice President for External Affairs

Self-Reflection

I’m Driven By A Sense Of Belonging

What are some things you, you know,
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00:00:03.269 --> 00:00:07.207 you wish you could have done differently, you know, to get where you were?
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00:00:07.307 --> 00:00:09.809 In the beginning of my junior year,
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00:00:09.809 --> 00:00:13.246 I made honorable mention as well as All-American as far as playing basketball.
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00:00:13.580 --> 00:00:16.983 I didn't like the school I was at, and I didn't have the type of mentor
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00:00:17.283 --> 00:00:20.253 or somebody like that to say, hey, stop.
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00:00:20.320 --> 00:00:22.856 Focus. This is just temporary.
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00:00:22.856 --> 00:00:25.859 Because I had shoe box full of letters coming from everywhere,
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00:00:26.059 --> 00:00:27.727 so I didn't have an excuse.
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00:00:27.727 --> 00:00:29.362 You know, just bitter growing up.
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00:00:29.362 --> 00:00:31.765 I would talk to that young man
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00:00:31.765 --> 00:00:34.768 and say, hey, this is what you got to alter.
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00:00:34.768 --> 00:00:39.039 And I would say to those who have those, abilities,
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00:00:39.706 --> 00:00:42.175 not just sports wise, but academic,
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00:00:42.175 --> 00:00:44.844 the stuff that is on the outside, okay?
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00:00:44.844 --> 00:00:45.445 It's real,
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00:00:46.746 --> 00:00:50.050 but focus on the task because you can always leave.
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00:00:50.050 --> 00:00:51.584 You have other options.
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00:00:51.584 --> 00:00:55.855 Do not allow the current situation to overrule your thoughts.
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00:00:56.389 --> 00:01:01.389 I knew because of the type of people I was around, how to do time in prison
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00:01:02.028 --> 00:01:04.931 more than to go to college and be a student.
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00:01:04.931 --> 00:01:07.867 And they told me I would never leave prison.
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00:01:07.867 --> 00:01:09.335 For a long time I believed that
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00:01:09.335 --> 00:01:13.540 because the people that were around me were doing 35, 40 years.
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00:01:13.540 --> 00:01:16.876 And when I got blessed to come home,
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00:01:17.277 --> 00:01:20.280 a friend of mine he said, Alexander,
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00:01:20.380 --> 00:01:25.151 your worst day out here will always be better than your best day in there.
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00:01:25.351 --> 00:01:29.089 And he explained, it as because you can change the direction of it
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00:01:29.689 --> 00:01:33.159 with a thought and move out on it, whereas in there you're trapped.
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00:01:33.560 --> 00:01:37.197 So I remind myself of that on tough days and keep pushing.
 

2025 PGCO Hub Interviews
formerly-incarcerated

I spent 26 years in prison. It wasn't how I expected my life to go but I used my time in prison to turn my life around, better myself, and work towards reentry. Now I devote my career to helping others going through the same thing.

I work with people who are navigating the challenges of reentry after incarceration. Whether I’m coaching someone who just came home after 30 years or guiding a young first-time offender through a program, my goal is to help them avoid more time behind bars and rebuild their lives. It’s tough work—sometimes they fight me because they’re still fighting themselves. But when they realize I’m on their side and they can see a future for themselves, that’s when I know I’m where I’m meant to be.

Peer Recovery Support Specialist

Struggle

Advice For People Struggling With The Negativity Around Them

I mean, we're we're we looked and we saw that you were the first
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00:00:05.672 --> 00:00:09.109 black male educator of the year.
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00:00:09.376 --> 00:00:11.044 That's huge.
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00:00:11.044 --> 00:00:11.611 Yeah. Yeah.
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00:00:11.611 --> 00:00:13.947 In the state of Colorado. Yes. It's real huge.
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00:00:14.014 --> 00:00:18.284 How does that make you feel being that not the face of that, but like, the first
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00:00:18.618 --> 00:00:23.256 hopefully the first of many, but the first standing of of of that acknowledgment.
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00:00:23.390 --> 00:00:24.991 I didn't know how to feel.
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00:00:24.991 --> 00:00:27.660 And even to this day, sometimes I don't know how to feel.
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00:00:27.927 --> 00:00:32.927 I am hopeful that it's an inspiration to other black male educators
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00:00:33.466 --> 00:00:36.169 or just black educators, period, or teachers of color.
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00:00:36.803 --> 00:00:39.272 Like I say, sometimes it's mixed feelings because it's like, okay,
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00:00:39.272 --> 00:00:42.642 so am I carrying the race on my shoulders.
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00:00:43.209 --> 00:00:45.745 Am I carrying the weight
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00:00:45.745 --> 00:00:48.782 of all teachers of colors on my shoulder?
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00:00:49.082 --> 00:00:51.217 So I would have like a lot of mixed
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00:00:52.619 --> 00:00:55.822 feelings about it, but I'm gonna be Jimmy, I'm going to have my personality.
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00:00:55.822 --> 00:00:57.424 I'm going to crack jokes.
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00:00:57.424 --> 00:00:59.392 You know, I'm I'm just going to be me.
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00:00:59.392 --> 00:01:01.661 And, you know, that's the only way I can be.
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00:01:01.661 --> 00:01:05.532 And I think that is what has brought the most success
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00:01:05.532 --> 00:01:09.369 with my students, because they understand the authenticity that I bring.
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00:01:09.602 --> 00:01:13.273 They know I'm not up here trying to act like something that I'm not.
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00:01:13.273 --> 00:01:17.811 And so I think that has brought a lot of success.
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00:01:17.844 --> 00:01:20.280 But yeah, I'm happy with, like I said, I just have moments
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00:01:20.280 --> 00:01:23.917 where I'm just reflecting and thinking about it and just like, what?
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00:01:23.917 --> 00:01:25.752 What do I need to do with this platform?
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00:01:25.752 --> 00:01:27.787 Am I doing what I supposed to be doing?
 

My days are spent teaching middle school students how to play instruments from flute to percussion. Through teaching instrumental music, I’m also teaching life skills—like collaboration, cooperation, work ethic and leadership—that will help my students be successful not only in my class, but outside of my class as well.

Band and Orchestra Teacher

Character

First Black Male Educator Of The Year In Colorado

Your whole line of work is surrounding this idea of kind of making the space more equal, so that there isn't harassment at all. My question to you is, how do you communicate that to others who may not perceive it as a problem? Because I imagine your work specifically targets audiences who already believe that harassment is bad, how do you expand that? &gt;&gt; So from a social movement standpoint, you really only need 3% of people to fully agree with you in order to make a significant social change. So you're right, we are talking to a lot of people about harassment. That being the said, I think one of the big things that I've learned in doing this work is there's no such thing as, like, here's the people who are harassed and here's the people who harass. [LAUGH] All of us have an experience of being treated as less than, and all of us have the experience of screwing up and creating harm. And so what we're doing is really trying to break that down. Let's get folks to see both sides of that inside of themselves to repair the harm that they have created in their own lives, so that we can break those cycles of violence. One of the big things that we've done is around training people how to intervene when they see harassment happening. That curriculum is pretty much the exact same curriculum that we've put somebody through, who was actively perpetuating harassment, right? It's about building empathy, it's about understanding the impact of harassment. Because as a bystander, you need that in order to have the courage to intervene, but you also need to know that in order to not harass other people. So there's a couple different ways that we get through it. And so the thing that fixes it is a cultural change. 

2023 IMAG Roadtrip
advanced-degree
entrepreneur

Founder & President

Harassment isn't a problem. You're just being overreactive.

Focus

How We’re Working To Get More People To Support Our Cause

What gave you the courage to just go for it? What kept you going and what keeps you going? &gt;&gt; I ask myself, what's the worst thing that can happen? I try to imagine the worst-case scenario, and the worst-case scenario that I can think of was still pretty palatable. It's not that bad. I can totally lose everything I have. &gt;&gt; [LAUGH] &gt;&gt; But I would still have my degree, I would still have the experience that I had, and I don't mean just for the resume, I mean just like the learning that you learn by doing things. So, it didn't seem so scary. And I try not to worry about things that I cannot control so much and focus on the small things that I can actually control. Because I think we waste so much time and energy, like worrying about things and then being fearful. But, if you went into a different career and if it doesn't work out, what's the worst thing that can happen? You just start over and then what gets me going on the toughest days, and I wanna just fold everything and close, I think to myself, you have responsibilities. And that responsibility is just not to yourself. I have responsibilities to my staff, I have responsibilities to my partners. So those are, to me, more meaningful when I make a decision than like my desire to fold everything and run away [LAUGH] or like, scrap everything and try something different. 

2023 IMAG Roadtrip
entrepreneur
career-change

There were a couple of times that I felt very alone and disconnected from my community. When I started finding opportunities to make and share Korean food, I think I was inadvertently trying to create that community for myself.

Chef & Managing Partner

It's late to be changing careers and figuring out what I want to do. I've missed the boat.

Perseverance

Values

How I Keep Moving Forward In My Career

Yeah, you mentioned that having that breakthrough where you saw yourself as a leader. Can you tell us more about that, and how you leaned into this position of becoming a mentor, both in your own life and here? &gt;&gt; When I was younger I was very observant, I think we all in certain aspects, right? We're observing, watching other people, we see how other people react or interact. And so, I think it was a space where I think we all at a certain point where we're young, we wanna be recognized, that was kind of a aspect where I started to build more of identity of myself. For me personally it was when I got into hip hop, I embraced it for Heartland like it really kinda became my religion. And so striving to be in those spaces is what really kinda helped me define my identity in those spaces as opposed to trying to be like the crowd, and I started to see people respected me for being myself. The more and more I embraced that, the more I realized that that respect was genuine cuz I was being authentic. And so I try to exemplify that and be an example for other youth. Sometimes they are in a position where they want to impress their peers. I see with my own children and I try to tell them, like, yo, be yourself. I know you're not listening to me right now, but you're gonna learn when you become an adult. Being yourself is the greatest gift, because nobody can be you it's only one you. 

In order to help my mentees be the best versions of themselves, I need to exemplify that myself. I've learned that I need to not exert myself too much and spend time focusing on self-care so that I can present the best version of myself.

Programs Director

Individualism

Be Your Authentic Self

Do you have any last piece of advice, one thing that if that's all we get from this that you wanna tell us? &gt;&gt; The journey is more important than the finish line. I think sometimes we strive so much to get to where we wanna be and we forget about enjoying the journey. The journey is where you get the life lessons. The journey Is where you gain the wisdom. But appreciate those corners, appreciate those moments when you have to fail and learn. And then another thing that I stand by that I learned from a guy by the name of Prophet noble, Joe Ali he said, the science of happiness is the study of your life. If you really wanna understand the science of happiness, study your life, study yourself. Now, what makes you tick, what pushes you in a position to be developed for staying authentic to yourself, so science to happiness is a study your life. You wanna be happy studying yourself. 

Support & Encouragement

The Journey Is More Important Than The Finish Line

Can you talk about how you got to that point of shifting your mindset and just going for it? &gt;&gt; Man, switching my mindset was a process because you have to unlearn a lot of things that you've been subconsciously just taking in and so I started like spending time with myself in the mornings. And I would just designate these hours to myself and I would play these songs that would get me hyped up. And it wasn't typical stuff either. It wasn't just like, you know what I'm saying? It wasn't just like Jeezy and stuff, it was like, [LAUGH] it would be like Billy the Kid. I would listen to jazz from Terrence Blanchard and it was these songs that I would just kind of just get in my thought process and I would just really get to know me. And then I was like for what do you really love about yourself? And then I was like okay well I like this about me this is what I really love about me. And I didn't want it to come from other people because a lot of my validation at first were coming from other people and I was like well my mom said I got nice eyebrows, so I got nice eyebrows. &gt;&gt; [LAUGH] &gt;&gt; It was like, no, actually I like my eyebrows because I like them. And so I needed that space because for a long time, it took me a while to be confident. And I was like, and if they're like, if I got to like it. So I'm saying that's what I really started to embrace and just wanted to be, you know what, if it makes me weird, then I'm weird. If it makes me happy, and then I'm happy. And so I was like, well, I'm gonna be happy. And I've just been thinking about that every day. It's just something I wanna do, I should just do it. I'm saying as long as I'm not harming anybody, it's okay to have some elements of being selfish. It's I have to prioritize myself in some way, and I'm excited about that. I'm excited to see what that looks like. 

I believe that in life you don't get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate. So make sure you're always advocating for yourself. Make sure that you're speaking up for what you want and creating opportunities for yourself. Don't just wait for someone to present an opportunity to you.

At Guitars Over Guns, we hire musicians to come into middle schools, high schools, and community centers to create relationships and mentor students for years on end. A mentor will arrive at a school with a lesson plan. We start off with a circle to check in with the students about how they're feeling—that check-in essentially guides the day. We'll teach lessons and lead activities to create a positive experience for students.

Regional Director

Stuff like that doesn't happen to people like me.

Self-Reflection

I’m Driven By A Sense Of Belonging

I’m Driven By A Sense Of Belonging

Michael Strautmanis

505 videos on Self-Reflection: