The 6-year-old who decided to become a top student

Do not take me wrong. I love learning. It is just that I started my learning journey because I somehow had to. Because there was no choice. I needed to be independent and be strong on my own.

I was born in a small city in the south of Mexico and grew up surrounded by plenty of drama. Life exposed me too early to things that children should never be exposed to. I became a quiet child, introspective, always observing. Very early in life, I figured out that if I was a good student, I could get a little scholarship in my public school, which would help me to help my mami. So, I started studying.

I was 6 years old when I won my first school contest and participated in my first municipal academic competition. The first of many more to come. I was the youngest of my generation, as I started school a year before the average age in Mexico (5). No, it wasn’t smooth. Sometimes I wanted to hang out with the others, but if mum knew I was one mark less than perfect, I would be grounded during days! She quit her job because of me. She used to spend hours helping me to understand my homework, and forcing me to keep studying. I did have free time, and used it in English, poetry writing or piano lessons or baking cheesecakes to go on the streets to sell them, or simply selling my sweets to make some extra money (yet, another little story to tell). When I received my first scholarship, I remember I took my entire family for pizza (yaaay!), and it felt great! By the age of 10, I was in charge of correcting my teacher’s grammar and maths. Was I bullied? Of course I was! I was the chubby girl with her glasses writing poetry or studying or wondering about my place in the world while the others where running. The time came when I was in 6th grade, and my life changed.

There is a very famous competition in the entire country, and every single 6th-grade student takes part in it. It is the Sixth Grade National Academic Olympics (each year, more than 2 million students participate from all around the country). My school hadn’t won the municipal contest in about 6 years. Once I was nominated as my school’s academic representative for the competition, my teacher, Lilia, decided that I needed to study harder (yaaay… #not).

Every day after school, I used to go home, eat, and get ready to head to my teacher’s house. She tutored me after school every day in advanced grammar, history, geography, biology, civism, science, and maths. She was doing the best she could. It wasn’t all that great! While my friends were playing in the park in front of my house in San Isidro, I was leaving with my books and my glasses to study! While there were troubles in paradise, I still had to put myself together and go to study. I needed to push hard, so I did.

My teacher had a young girl too (older than me alright), Donahi. She was so lucky. I remember sneaking out to play with her in her dolls’ house when my teacher was not looking… Children (sight). My teacher Lilia (I still call her this way when I see her) bought so many books, which I read. I trained with plenty of mock tests once and again and again. Timing it. Moving fast between subjects. Solving my questions. No joking, I learned everything that I needed to know in maths up to a high school level.

I still remember visiting Mama Esther in Acapulco during the Easter break. Her house was every child’s dream. One can get lost in there playing bike, running to collect some mangos, playing water wars, having fun with my cousins. But not that time. While all of the kids were playing, I was in my bedroom at her house learning by heart the rivers and capitals of the world… I tried to learn them by singing the “Animaniacs” song (yes, I am that old!), which I was not really allowed to watch. Mum thought I had to spend my time in useful duties.

Finally, the D-day arrived. I was there with my mum (yes, she was always there!), and my teacher Lilia. The school hosting it was the champion for the last 6 years. I was a bit intimidated. I remember we were around 20 kids coming from all the schools in the Municipality. I sat. I prepared my pencil and my eraser and waited for the exam to start. I do not remember anymore whether it was hard. My memory has completely deleted that. I just remember when the judges were announcing the results. I had won.

I had to prepare harder to go to the regional contest fase 1, competing against the best public schools from the capital of the state. I won again. Then the regional contest fase II. Then the state’s level public school contests. All the finalist from all the regions in the state coming. From the rich urban cities, such as Taxco, Zihuatanejo and Acapulco, from the non-so wealthy and from the rural ones. We were all there. Yes, I was very intimidated. I won again. Then had to participate in the final test, the State contest including everybody, public and private schools. Anyway.

As winners, we – the 20 top students from the state- were invited to meet the Governor and the ministries at Guerrero’s Mansion House. The funny thing is that I never realised how that contest would change my life at so many levels (see also How was I ranked one of the top public speakers in my state’s history by the age 25). I was appointed as a recipient of the State Medal ‘Francisco Figueroa Mata’, which acknowledges outstanding childhood academic trajectory, in the state of Guerrero, Mexico. We were sent to Mexico City to represent our state and join the national talents hanging out with the smartest kids in the country for a week and meeting the President of Mexico and State Ministries.

We also travelled around the country in the “Route of Independence” learning about the history of our country and what makes us the Mexico we are now. Because we were coming from different backgrounds, the government gave us uniforms, sports clothes, formal suits for the official events, shoes, and a camera (my first camera ever!). I also received my first computer and printer. I remember that my Mama Rosi escorted me every day to Conchita’s as my dad decided that I needed to have only suits for my trip (#suitup #yaaay #not).

I was lucky enough that two teachers were invited to come and join us- and sort of look after us. My teacher Lilia was there with me :). On that trip, I met one of my lifetime friends, Dr Marvin Antonio Soriano, who is making history in health sciences.

The rest is history. I went back to Tixtla and was received by my elementary school as a little local hero. Then I moved into secondary school. There were also academic competitions. I was a municipal, regional and state winner again during the three years to come.

While in the CBTis 134, my technical high school, I used to go to school in the evenings as I was working in the mornings and training public speaking in the afternoons. When I won the internal competition in Grammar and Writing, I met my teacher Haydee Colmenares, who was assigned as my mentor to get me ready for the state championship. She was also very good to me. She guided me for a year and together we won the state competitions two consecutive years. I was a winner in the nationals too. Coming from a state like Guerrero, ranked as the 3rd worse in educational quality in Mexico, this is not easy! We are also, as of today, the most dangerous state in Mexico. Poverty, ignorance and crime surround us.

So it happened, at 17 years old I had won over 30 academic achievements at a state and national level and was distinguished with the Prize for the Youth Guerrero and the Medal and the State Civil Merit Medal ‘Jose Azueta’, acknowledged for outstanding youth life trajectory.

I left my state to study college. I graduated as a Magna Cum Laude in Puebla. With time, I had the opportunity of studying in Boston and in Dublin. My masters and my PhD respectively. My expertise has been earned from my transition from politics to government to education to management in America, Europe, and the Middle East over 20 years. I am a regular keynote speaker for industry and academia, and a judge and mentor in hackathons and innovation challenges all around the world. In Mexico, she has addressed over 70 000 youths, women and business people as a keynote speaker across the country (curious about my full bio? click here).

In any case, my 6 years old self was right, being a good student changed my history. When I am writing and finding it hard to focus, I close my eyes and I can see the little Temis (my childhood nickname), looking at me with her pink glasses (my mum’s favourite colour, not mine!) moving her head in disapproval and going back to her readings in one of her encyclopedias, her hobby (she is strange, I am telling you!).