Channelview alum shares real life wisdom with 2024 grads
Every year, the North Channel Area Chamber of Commerce hosts the Senior Honors Luncheon, where they recognize the efforts of the Top 5 percent of the graduating classes from C. E. King, Channelview, Galena Park, Galena Park CTE Early College, and North Shore Senior high schools.
This year’s keynote speaker was a Channelview high school graduate and graduate of the C. T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston (2019).
Rubi Escamilla, a recipient of scholarships locally from the North Shore Rotary Club and the San Jacinto Pilot Club, is a product manager with Corebridge Financial. She has interned at the Walt Disney Company in merchandising and Nationwide Financial in financial services. She also earned the opportunity to study abroad in the summer of 2017 in Rome and Barcelona.
“I was sitting in these same chairs nine years ago for this same luncheon,” she smiled.
Escamilla reminisced her background how her dad moved to the United States when he was 19 years old to give his future family a better life.
“My dad has worked nonstop getting up at 4 a.m. every single morning to provide for my family. He and my mother have sacrificed so much, and I will forever be grateful,” she told students.
She grew up in a Mexican American home being the oldest of three siblings, not knowing how to speak English.
“I learned English in school and, according to my dad, when I would get home from school, I would cry because I couldn’t understand my classmates,” she said.
Despite her struggles with the English language, she learned to overcome.
“I was a first-generation student when I started college and had no one to relate to. I just wanted to earn scholarships to prevent any hardships on my family,” she said.
Escamilla earned about $150,000 in scholarships to fulfill her dream and a college education.
“Whether you’ve decided to go to college or not, or you’re still unsure about what your future might hold, your entire life is ahead of you and your opportunities are endless,” she said.
With her encouraging words, she also had a warning.
“Remember, the choices we make right now matter. We’re all here because of choices we made years ago, and they’ve brought us to this exact moment,” she said, “so think about the future that you want for yourself, and really think about the choices that will help you get there.”
Escamilla says she’s a fan of writing pros and cons lists when she faces a new chapter in her life.
“Those were the lists especially helpful for me deciding what school I wanted to go to, what I wanted to say, and eventually what my first job out of college was going to be.”
She also advocated building a community of peers as support to help through each new chapter.
Escamilla closed with five points for students to remember and take to heart.
“First, the moments that mark us, stay with us forever. Memories will stay with us for a lifetime,” she said.
“Second, the choices we make matter.”
Next, she reminded students that life is short, don’t let it pass you by. Be adventurous and enjoy what life has to offer.
“Fourth, when you graduate from college and are looking for a job, or for those of you that aren’t going to college and are joining the workforce right away, make sure to look for a company that has values that align with your values,” she said. It could keep life less complicated.
Lastly, she told her peers to never forget where you came from or the community in which you grew up.
“We’re all defined by our experiences and can relate to one another through our shared experiences. We’re all from the east side of Houston, I grew up here just like all of you. We’ve all grown up going to the same restaurant, stores, and probably have met one another and don’t even know it. Don’t forget about the community that’s how you grow the people that helped you get to this point.”