1 00:00:02,289 --> 00:00:04,439 Welcome to Digication Scholars Conversations. 2 00:00:04,859 --> 00:00:06,199 I'm your host, Jeff Yan. 3 00:00:06,890 --> 00:00:10,660 In this episode, you will hear part one of my conversation with Jorge 4 00:00:10,709 --> 00:00:15,780 Colon, Associate Professor of Practice at the Center for Veterinary Business 5 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:20,505 and Entrepreneurship at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University. 6 00:00:21,495 --> 00:00:25,125 More links and information about today's conversation can be found on Digication's 7 00:00:25,405 --> 00:00:27,135 Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 8 00:00:27,865 --> 00:00:31,104 Full episodes of Digication Scholars Conversations can be found on 9 00:00:31,104 --> 00:00:33,254 YouTube or your favorite podcast app. 10 00:00:35,234 --> 00:00:37,535 Welcome to Digication Scholars Conversations. 11 00:00:37,765 --> 00:00:39,175 I'm your host, Jeff Yan. 12 00:00:39,795 --> 00:00:44,535 My guest today is Jorge Colon, Associate Professor of Practice at 13 00:00:44,535 --> 00:00:49,065 the Center for Veterinary Business and Entrepreneurship at the College of 14 00:00:49,085 --> 00:00:51,854 Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University. 15 00:00:53,849 --> 00:00:54,739 Hi there, Jorge. 16 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:55,390 How are you? 17 00:00:55,430 --> 00:00:56,269 I'm doing great, Jeff. 18 00:00:56,269 --> 00:00:57,080 Thanks for having me. 19 00:00:58,110 --> 00:01:03,660 Now, you were introduced to us, um, by Pat Graham, uh, from 20 00:01:03,660 --> 00:01:06,840 Cornell University, someone who I have worked with for many years. 21 00:01:07,300 --> 00:01:10,780 He had a lot of, uh, great things to say about you, and I had taken a 22 00:01:10,780 --> 00:01:14,320 look at your bio, and it's really, really, really, really impressive. 23 00:01:14,749 --> 00:01:20,570 Um, I particularly, I really enjoyed seeing your portfolio on Digication, 24 00:01:20,580 --> 00:01:22,330 where I got to learn so much about you. 25 00:01:22,770 --> 00:01:27,399 Um, and once I saw it, I, I thought, wow, we have to, we have to talk to him. 26 00:01:27,955 --> 00:01:32,025 Now, give me, uh, why don't you bring us on that journey a little bit, 27 00:01:32,585 --> 00:01:36,384 perhaps starting literally from you were born and raised in Puerto Rico. 28 00:01:37,555 --> 00:01:39,725 Yeah, so I'm, uh, I'm a Puerto Rico U. 29 00:01:39,725 --> 00:01:42,574 S., uh, I'm born and raised in, in Guaynal, Puerto Rico, 30 00:01:42,575 --> 00:01:43,985 just southwest of San Juan. 31 00:01:44,545 --> 00:01:48,725 And I, I was Um, I grew up there until I finished my high school 32 00:01:48,725 --> 00:01:52,025 education and then I actually came to Ithaca, New York to Cornell 33 00:01:52,025 --> 00:01:53,785 University as an undergrad student. 34 00:01:54,345 --> 00:01:57,984 I studied biology here at Cornell with the goals of going into veterinary 35 00:01:57,984 --> 00:01:59,404 school, something that I did. 36 00:01:59,444 --> 00:02:01,825 I, I went to the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine. 37 00:02:02,245 --> 00:02:06,575 After my undergraduate years, I graduated in 1995 and I was 38 00:02:06,675 --> 00:02:08,925 an equine trained veterinarian. 39 00:02:09,495 --> 00:02:12,964 I went to Lexington, Kentucky to work as an equine veterinarian 40 00:02:12,964 --> 00:02:14,705 and I did that for about 25 years. 41 00:02:15,175 --> 00:02:17,215 I had a very good professional career down there. 42 00:02:17,215 --> 00:02:21,875 I was pretty much in layman's terms a horse OBGYN and a pediatrician. 43 00:02:22,465 --> 00:02:26,114 So I did that as a self employed veterinarian, but I also had a 44 00:02:26,665 --> 00:02:28,484 passion for business and finance. 45 00:02:28,515 --> 00:02:33,915 So in the process of being a veterinarian, I also Study Finances and I, I received, 46 00:02:33,915 --> 00:02:39,855 uh, I obtained my Master's in Business Administration and during the process 47 00:02:39,855 --> 00:02:43,394 of starting to share information in veterinary business with fellow 48 00:02:43,395 --> 00:02:47,144 colleagues in the veterinary space, an opportunity came here at the College 49 00:02:47,144 --> 00:02:51,154 of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell with the creation of a new center called 50 00:02:51,155 --> 00:02:53,755 the Center for Veterinary Business and Entrepreneurship, which you mentioned. 51 00:02:54,300 --> 00:02:56,940 And there was a position opening, the first position created by the 52 00:02:56,940 --> 00:02:59,320 Center for the Education position. 53 00:02:59,329 --> 00:03:03,219 So I took the, I made a career move and I stopped being a daily 54 00:03:03,249 --> 00:03:04,709 equine veterinarian and I came back. 55 00:03:04,739 --> 00:03:05,879 I came to academia. 56 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:07,109 I had never been in academia. 57 00:03:07,109 --> 00:03:10,349 So 25 years after I had left Ithaca, New York, I came back. 58 00:03:11,020 --> 00:03:14,700 I moved my whole family across the country to um, start a new career 59 00:03:14,700 --> 00:03:19,070 in education and now I'm tasked with the development and implementation 60 00:03:19,070 --> 00:03:22,670 of veterinary business education for veterinary students within the curriculum 61 00:03:23,139 --> 00:03:26,439 and the creation of our certificate in veterinary business of management. 62 00:03:26,999 --> 00:03:31,110 So I do that now as my full time job but in the meantime when I have time I 63 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:34,720 still get to go to the barn and teach students how to work with horses and 64 00:03:34,940 --> 00:03:36,890 get some horse hair back on my clothing. 65 00:03:36,890 --> 00:03:37,509 So there you are. 66 00:03:38,055 --> 00:03:40,705 The washer and the dryer have some horse hair, clean horse 67 00:03:40,705 --> 00:03:41,734 hair, but they still have it. 68 00:03:42,114 --> 00:03:46,394 My wife is a very horse person since birth, so not having horse hair 69 00:03:46,394 --> 00:03:50,024 in the washer and dryer has been a weird scenario that we haven't 70 00:03:50,024 --> 00:03:51,575 gotten used to for a while, so. 71 00:03:52,305 --> 00:03:55,114 So that's a very concise description of what I've done. 72 00:03:55,465 --> 00:04:00,365 Um, I, uh, I'm very happy here working with students at Cornell. 73 00:04:00,365 --> 00:04:04,105 It's, uh, it provides great pleasure in helping other people become 74 00:04:04,105 --> 00:04:05,275 better versions of themselves. 75 00:04:05,830 --> 00:04:08,740 And I get to use the skills that I have not only from education, 76 00:04:08,910 --> 00:04:10,530 but also from life experiences. 77 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:15,539 And so this education platform has served a tremendous purpose for me, 78 00:04:15,810 --> 00:04:19,610 not only for helping students with their growth and personal development. 79 00:04:20,010 --> 00:04:23,700 But also communicating to a people some of the things that I do like you, you 80 00:04:23,700 --> 00:04:29,360 learn a lot about me from my portfolio, which I, I happened to stumble upon what 81 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:35,480 Digication was during a meeting that I was part of, um, some showcase by, you 82 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:41,320 mentioned, um, Pat Graham, their, um, center down, down campus, and they had a 83 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:44,539 showcase of the products that they have available and Digication was one of them. 84 00:04:44,539 --> 00:04:49,729 So very, very long story short, I just stumbled upon Digication and now, uh, 85 00:04:50,390 --> 00:04:53,680 I'm hooked on it, and, and there's all kinds of programs that I have here at 86 00:04:53,700 --> 00:04:57,320 the College that are hooked on it, and, and we kind of, I have some courses 87 00:04:57,320 --> 00:05:01,659 that can't live without it, so, I'm, uh, I'm in for the, for the duration. 88 00:05:02,840 --> 00:05:04,219 Well, that's, that's great to hear. 89 00:05:04,270 --> 00:05:07,140 Uh, you, you said something that I thought was really amazing. 90 00:05:07,150 --> 00:05:11,425 Now, you were, you know, you had a successful career. 91 00:05:11,425 --> 00:05:16,140 You still have it, but you, you started with a successful career for 25 years. 92 00:05:16,650 --> 00:05:24,210 You know, working day to day, full time with horses and animals and, um, and, 93 00:05:24,210 --> 00:05:29,020 um, and of course you had said that you also have an interest in business and 94 00:05:29,030 --> 00:05:33,049 finance and so you got the degree and then you got an opportunity to come back. 95 00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:39,784 What makes you Maybe tell us a little bit more about like that jump, you 96 00:05:39,784 --> 00:05:43,855 know, like from being working, you know, working in a, in the sort of 97 00:05:43,855 --> 00:05:48,354 the professional field, coming back to academia and working with students. 98 00:05:48,785 --> 00:05:51,895 Was it, was teaching something that you'd always wanted? 99 00:05:51,914 --> 00:05:54,045 Because it's, it's really three things. 100 00:05:54,055 --> 00:05:59,165 You are interested in, you know, um, working with horses, but you, 101 00:05:59,165 --> 00:06:01,975 you know, you, you also talked about entrepreneurship and, you 102 00:06:01,975 --> 00:06:04,585 know, business, but also teaching. 103 00:06:05,865 --> 00:06:06,084 Yeah. 104 00:06:06,084 --> 00:06:07,284 I mean, um, let me break it. 105 00:06:07,715 --> 00:06:11,245 Into, down into different parts, because I kind of jumped too quickly into, into 106 00:06:11,255 --> 00:06:16,895 my whole life story in 30 seconds, but as a, as a kid in high school in Puerto Rico, 107 00:06:16,895 --> 00:06:22,105 I was very interested in the sciences and the maths, um, and I started working 108 00:06:22,105 --> 00:06:26,114 at the racetrack with a family friend who was a veterinarian, and I just got 109 00:06:26,114 --> 00:06:32,885 exposed to the horses at the racetrack, and looking to my veterinary years when I, 110 00:06:33,355 --> 00:06:37,705 So all my other classmates in veterinary school who were interested in horses, 111 00:06:38,175 --> 00:06:41,635 they were either riding horses since they were little kids or they grew up 112 00:06:41,635 --> 00:06:44,025 on a farm or I did none of those things. 113 00:06:44,075 --> 00:06:46,155 I, I, I grew up on an island. 114 00:06:46,155 --> 00:06:51,934 I sailed and I snorkel and I scuba dive and I didn't ride horses, but I 115 00:06:51,934 --> 00:06:56,930 developed a love and a passion for The horse as part of my interest in science. 116 00:06:57,250 --> 00:06:59,220 So the science background comes from that. 117 00:06:59,220 --> 00:07:02,270 I pursued biology as a means of achieving something. 118 00:07:02,710 --> 00:07:05,310 I'm the type of person that I did everything that I 119 00:07:05,809 --> 00:07:08,100 recommend my students to not do. 120 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:10,059 I did not have a plan B. 121 00:07:10,470 --> 00:07:12,720 I had plan A and plan A was the only thing. 122 00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:15,750 And that was, I was going to go to school to become a veterinarian. 123 00:07:15,750 --> 00:07:18,280 I didn't really have plan B, which is a bad idea. 124 00:07:18,815 --> 00:07:22,935 And I teach my students to not do that now, and you know, do as I 125 00:07:22,945 --> 00:07:24,985 say, not as I do type of scenario. 126 00:07:25,745 --> 00:07:26,705 So that's one part. 127 00:07:28,295 --> 00:07:32,895 The teaching part is something that I didn't know I had in me, other than when 128 00:07:32,895 --> 00:07:37,524 I was talking to clients as part of my professional career as a veterinarian, 129 00:07:37,555 --> 00:07:42,175 clients would, you know, I, there's a difference in my mind between 130 00:07:43,325 --> 00:07:47,285 teaching, where it's a one sided, I know something, you don't know it, and 131 00:07:47,285 --> 00:07:51,635 I'm gonna make sure that you are aware of the fact that I know more than you. 132 00:07:52,164 --> 00:07:53,424 That's one way of doing it. 133 00:07:53,424 --> 00:07:56,005 And unfortunately, there's too many people that do it that way. 134 00:07:56,455 --> 00:07:59,065 The way that I prefer to say is I like to share knowledge. 135 00:07:59,065 --> 00:08:04,245 So if I gain knowledge on something from experience or from education, if 136 00:08:04,250 --> 00:08:07,544 part of my cultural bringing to you wanna share that with someone else and 137 00:08:07,544 --> 00:08:09,555 make you a better version of yourself. 138 00:08:10,195 --> 00:08:15,924 Um, one of the statements that I made here that that's, that's been copied by some 139 00:08:15,924 --> 00:08:19,044 of my colleagues is that at one point in time I can't remember what exactly what. 140 00:08:19,380 --> 00:08:21,229 What's after we're talking about confidence. 141 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:25,979 And I said something, I made something that said, uh, confidence is the 142 00:08:25,979 --> 00:08:30,419 ability to help someone become a better version of themselves, even if that 143 00:08:30,419 --> 00:08:31,919 means they'll become better than you. 144 00:08:32,439 --> 00:08:35,929 And to me, that's what teaching is to me, teaching is sharing knowledge. 145 00:08:35,929 --> 00:08:38,149 And so I started doing that with clients. 146 00:08:38,554 --> 00:08:40,534 We would have students coming by to visit. 147 00:08:40,574 --> 00:08:44,255 I was that student at one point in time working underneath a veterinarian 148 00:08:44,525 --> 00:08:47,444 and just learning to be a better version of that, which I wanted to 149 00:08:47,455 --> 00:08:49,044 be was extremely important for me. 150 00:08:49,465 --> 00:08:55,115 So being able to do that for was something that just became important to me because 151 00:08:55,284 --> 00:08:59,744 A, I enjoyed it and B, I was being told that, you know, I was actually good at it. 152 00:08:59,925 --> 00:09:03,645 And I, they could relate more to me because I wasn't this person 153 00:09:03,645 --> 00:09:05,685 that was trying to make sure that, hey, I know more than you. 154 00:09:05,685 --> 00:09:08,305 I want to teach you some stuff, but at the end of the day, I want to make sure that 155 00:09:08,305 --> 00:09:09,855 you know that I still know more than you. 156 00:09:10,215 --> 00:09:12,615 That, that's just not who the person that I am. 157 00:09:13,435 --> 00:09:15,305 Upbringing, Culture, and everything else. 158 00:09:15,635 --> 00:09:18,605 And so, those two things were combined. 159 00:09:19,215 --> 00:09:22,345 Now, I also combined the fact that I also had a deep passion 160 00:09:22,354 --> 00:09:23,975 for business and finance. 161 00:09:24,064 --> 00:09:25,675 I grew up in a business family. 162 00:09:25,675 --> 00:09:29,554 I'm the ugly duckling of my family that did not pursue a business degree. 163 00:09:29,745 --> 00:09:32,144 Straight out of, you know, as part of my career. 164 00:09:32,144 --> 00:09:37,875 I am the only family member outside of a cousin that's a science background, as a 165 00:09:37,875 --> 00:09:39,815 biochemist, and she was a science teacher. 166 00:09:39,815 --> 00:09:42,815 I'm the only one who has a medical or science degree in my family. 167 00:09:44,225 --> 00:09:50,605 So, in the process of being a veterinarian and running my own business, I started 168 00:09:51,465 --> 00:09:56,455 working with fellow colleagues and friends with helping them with their 169 00:09:56,464 --> 00:10:01,595 business in the process of surviving as a veterinarian, because you need to 170 00:10:01,595 --> 00:10:03,075 have a business to be able to survive. 171 00:10:03,125 --> 00:10:05,584 You can be a great veterinarian, but if you don't take care of your business, 172 00:10:05,584 --> 00:10:07,354 you don't, you don't have a job tomorrow. 173 00:10:07,355 --> 00:10:12,715 And so all things got combined slowly, but surely, and then a passion was 174 00:10:12,734 --> 00:10:18,220 developed for Sharing knowledge about a passion of mine, which was business 175 00:10:18,620 --> 00:10:22,430 within a space that was a passion of mine, which is the veterinary medicine space. 176 00:10:23,130 --> 00:10:28,040 And we're in 2023 now, but back in 2015, 2016, the words veterinary 177 00:10:28,040 --> 00:10:31,679 and business used to never be mentioned in the same sentence. 178 00:10:31,680 --> 00:10:33,189 It's just not a common thing. 179 00:10:33,659 --> 00:10:38,880 I have a job doing this now, but this job did not exist way back, you know, 180 00:10:38,950 --> 00:10:40,790 way back, meaning eight years ago. 181 00:10:40,950 --> 00:10:44,350 I remember clearly when I was in business school, one of my professors 182 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:46,530 That became a really big mentor for me. 183 00:10:46,540 --> 00:10:49,340 He said, Jorge, you're training for a job that doesn't exist. 184 00:10:49,950 --> 00:10:54,100 What you're, what you're wanting to do with your two passions, Veterinary 185 00:10:54,100 --> 00:10:58,140 Medicine and Business, just a job for that specifically doesn't exist. 186 00:10:58,149 --> 00:11:01,800 And it didn't, until for me, it was the creation of the center. 187 00:11:02,860 --> 00:11:09,495 So, the combination of, Those three things, science, finances, business, and 188 00:11:09,495 --> 00:11:15,374 the desire to share knowledge and teach in the way that I like to do, just came 189 00:11:15,374 --> 00:11:20,074 together like a perfect storm and all combined at a moment in time in my career 190 00:11:20,074 --> 00:11:24,065 where I was I had spent enough time doing one of the things that I really had a 191 00:11:24,065 --> 00:11:28,885 passion for and I still love and loved what I was doing, but I just had another 192 00:11:28,885 --> 00:11:33,455 passion that I had the opportunity to pursue, which I love and I love doing. 193 00:11:33,535 --> 00:11:35,715 I did not abandon one for the other. 194 00:11:35,825 --> 00:11:38,514 I think in my mind, I still get to do a little bit of both. 195 00:11:39,235 --> 00:11:42,445 So that's, that's, that's a combination all in put together to, 196 00:11:42,505 --> 00:11:44,515 to create the space where I'm at now. 197 00:11:45,815 --> 00:11:53,024 You're an amazing example of what, um, what's, uh, what, uh, I, I, I think what. 198 00:11:53,995 --> 00:11:59,964 What a lot of people actually like, but are scared to or have been, they've had 199 00:11:59,964 --> 00:12:05,014 to suppress that because of societal norms or what's expected of them. 200 00:12:05,014 --> 00:12:08,985 Or maybe it's for other reasons, maybe financially they need to take a job and 201 00:12:08,985 --> 00:12:10,624 then they take them in certain directions. 202 00:12:11,055 --> 00:12:16,504 But even in those cases, you know, like now people have many 203 00:12:16,504 --> 00:12:22,314 careers, you know, most people, um, uh, you know, don't try to. 204 00:12:23,560 --> 00:12:27,960 You know, have this very linear, pre planned path where they go, I studied 205 00:12:27,960 --> 00:12:30,930 this and I want to work in this firm for the next 40 years and I'm 206 00:12:30,930 --> 00:12:33,090 going to retire and then that's it. 207 00:12:33,530 --> 00:12:38,910 Um, in fact, I think, you know, students today would think of that 208 00:12:38,910 --> 00:12:40,669 concept as being unimaginable. 209 00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:47,805 Like how, how boring, how How, how single sided, you know, that would be to a 210 00:12:47,835 --> 00:12:54,124 single, you know, so single dimension, singly, singly dimensional to, to life. 211 00:12:54,745 --> 00:12:56,654 You know, they want to do all kinds of things. 212 00:12:56,654 --> 00:12:58,675 They want to have all kinds of experiences. 213 00:12:59,085 --> 00:13:05,965 And the fact of the matter is that Um, I, I feel like that you are a perfect 214 00:13:05,965 --> 00:13:11,214 example of it, but you know, we are all have a special blend in a way, right? 215 00:13:11,455 --> 00:13:16,565 You have this passion for, um, for, for the, for the, for the three 216 00:13:16,585 --> 00:13:19,855 things that you talked about and that you are good at them, right? 217 00:13:19,855 --> 00:13:23,545 You have aptitude for them and you have developed passion and developed 218 00:13:23,545 --> 00:13:25,625 a way to get, to put them together. 219 00:13:26,105 --> 00:13:29,215 Um, but our students do the same things too, don't you think? 220 00:13:29,545 --> 00:13:31,465 You know, I'm sure you see a lot of that. 221 00:13:31,954 --> 00:13:32,744 Yeah, absolutely. 222 00:13:32,744 --> 00:13:35,435 And I tell the students all the time that as much as it seems 223 00:13:35,435 --> 00:13:39,785 like I have life completely under control because I'm this Mentorship 224 00:13:39,785 --> 00:13:41,194 figure that they now see, right? 225 00:13:41,194 --> 00:13:45,385 Because in my mind, I'm still like one of them But really they could be my children 226 00:13:45,385 --> 00:13:47,454 because they're the age of my children. 227 00:13:47,765 --> 00:13:49,224 So I'm much older. 228 00:13:49,234 --> 00:13:53,360 My mind just doesn't want to accept it Um, as much as it sounds in my 229 00:13:53,360 --> 00:13:57,800 head, like I, uh, everything in my life under control, my life really has 230 00:13:57,829 --> 00:14:03,159 been taking advantage of opportunities that have just presented to me. 231 00:14:03,160 --> 00:14:05,209 You just gotta be prepared to take advantage of them. 232 00:14:05,209 --> 00:14:09,370 When I, when I left school, I was never going to be working with 233 00:14:09,630 --> 00:14:12,970 mayors and foals, with moms and babies in the Thoroughbred industry. 234 00:14:12,970 --> 00:14:14,069 I was not gonna do that. 235 00:14:14,069 --> 00:14:15,560 I wanted to be an equine surgeon. 236 00:14:16,310 --> 00:14:19,660 And one thing led to the other, and something that I said I'm never 237 00:14:19,660 --> 00:14:22,030 gonna do again became what I did. 238 00:14:22,130 --> 00:14:23,189 for a career. 239 00:14:23,810 --> 00:14:27,020 And that's what I did in my professional career as a veterinarian. 240 00:14:27,020 --> 00:14:29,319 I worked in something that was not part of the plan. 241 00:14:29,869 --> 00:14:34,280 Um, coming to academia was never part of the plan at all. 242 00:14:35,220 --> 00:14:39,290 Not even a thought process of I want to someday become a 243 00:14:39,750 --> 00:14:41,479 faculty member at a university. 244 00:14:41,479 --> 00:14:46,079 That was not a thought process at all, but an opportunity presented itself 245 00:14:46,079 --> 00:14:48,165 that The right place, the right time. 246 00:14:48,165 --> 00:14:51,875 It was just perfect for, so, so life has been just a continuous 247 00:14:51,915 --> 00:14:54,035 zigzag for an opportunities. 248 00:14:54,324 --> 00:14:57,604 You have to be prepared to be able to take advantage of them, but I don't 249 00:14:57,605 --> 00:15:00,074 care what plan I had when I was younger. 250 00:15:00,074 --> 00:15:03,275 That plan went out the window a long, long, long time ago. 251 00:15:03,595 --> 00:15:07,125 And still to this day, every plan that I have, you know, it's not 252 00:15:07,125 --> 00:15:10,075 that I'm just throwing plants out the window left and right, but. 253 00:15:11,155 --> 00:15:15,175 Opportunities are presented in front of me based on the accomplishments of the 254 00:15:15,175 --> 00:15:18,185 different things that you're doing and so you just follow them and you pursue 255 00:15:18,185 --> 00:15:21,844 them and then you have a passion for them and some things you get good at and 256 00:15:21,844 --> 00:15:24,775 you follow those some things you're not that good at and then you find someone 257 00:15:24,775 --> 00:15:28,224 else that's better than you at those and then you follow the ones worth pursuing 258 00:15:28,225 --> 00:15:30,244 and, and that's where we end up at. 259 00:15:30,244 --> 00:15:34,795 But yeah, the concept of staying for your whole career doing one thing that 260 00:15:34,795 --> 00:15:40,385 is just not the norm in today's Society, and I guess I'm a little bit of an 261 00:15:40,385 --> 00:15:46,935 example that even though I grew up in a, uh, uh, longer ago society, um, I, I 262 00:15:46,935 --> 00:15:51,625 still live by the present day scenario of, hey, uh, things change, and you 263 00:15:51,625 --> 00:15:52,975 gotta be, you better be ready for it. 264 00:15:54,284 --> 00:15:57,745 And I think that's actually one of the things that I have found. 265 00:15:57,755 --> 00:16:02,755 I want to go into sort of the idea of higher education for a minute, because I 266 00:16:02,755 --> 00:16:04,375 think you are such a great example of it. 267 00:16:05,025 --> 00:16:05,945 There are. 268 00:16:06,700 --> 00:16:12,810 You know, I, I, I talk to a lot of people, sometimes some of them parents, 269 00:16:13,190 --> 00:16:18,270 some of them are just pundits who talk about what, what's the value of 270 00:16:18,280 --> 00:16:23,419 higher education, you know, and higher education, in fact, is under attack a lot 271 00:16:23,419 --> 00:16:27,079 of the times, you know, Is it expensive? 272 00:16:27,589 --> 00:16:28,450 Is it worth it? 273 00:16:28,790 --> 00:16:34,430 And then some people start to make all kinds of, um, assumptions that I think 274 00:16:34,430 --> 00:16:36,650 are just, is incredibly incorrect. 275 00:16:37,069 --> 00:16:42,359 You know, assumptions such as, well, if I just wanted the skills, why is the school 276 00:16:42,400 --> 00:16:46,490 teaching me all kinds of, all these, you know, things that are, The liberal 277 00:16:46,490 --> 00:16:50,510 arts classes, the general education classes, et cetera, that doesn't matter. 278 00:16:51,090 --> 00:16:55,250 Now, I'm not, by the way, saying that that's the only way to do it, but people 279 00:16:55,250 --> 00:17:01,050 have this sort of immense sort of, you know, sort of oversimplification 280 00:17:01,080 --> 00:17:03,000 of education could be done. 281 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:06,480 But just by saying straight line, you wanna learn this skill, take this 282 00:17:06,480 --> 00:17:09,330 class, do this exercise, you learn the skill, now you're ready to go. 283 00:17:09,910 --> 00:17:13,030 Um, and, and I think that it's actually. 284 00:17:13,805 --> 00:17:19,425 Um, you are sort of that proof, which is, no, actually you, you kind of need 285 00:17:19,435 --> 00:17:24,224 all kinds of other padding, all kinds of other support structure that allows 286 00:17:24,285 --> 00:17:29,284 you to veer off and take advantage of opportunities should they come your way. 287 00:17:29,564 --> 00:17:30,235 And guess what? 288 00:17:30,495 --> 00:17:33,835 If you have all the padding to do that stuff, they will 289 00:17:33,835 --> 00:17:34,975 come and you can get them. 290 00:17:34,985 --> 00:17:35,814 You can catch them. 291 00:17:36,675 --> 00:17:42,555 Um, otherwise, you do actually corner yourself into a very singularly minded 292 00:17:42,955 --> 00:17:47,445 path that I think one could feel extremely trapped, actually, if anything. 293 00:17:48,005 --> 00:17:51,794 You know, you, you, you train to this one thing, you have no, you know, it doesn't 294 00:17:51,835 --> 00:17:54,825 feel like you have the skills to do all these other things, and you yourself 295 00:17:54,825 --> 00:18:00,485 had said, look, even if I just want to practice, it's a business I have to run. 296 00:18:00,505 --> 00:18:03,045 I have to figure out how to bill people, I have to figure out the 297 00:18:03,054 --> 00:18:04,685 market, I have to figure out how to. 298 00:18:05,415 --> 00:18:07,185 You know, communicate with people. 299 00:18:07,264 --> 00:18:12,565 So, just being able to be that, you know, surgeon doesn't, 300 00:18:12,865 --> 00:18:15,125 is not good enough, right? 301 00:18:15,355 --> 00:18:22,374 Yeah, all of this, you know, I, there's a motivational speaker, Jim Rohn. 302 00:18:22,989 --> 00:18:29,799 Was a key component of some of the decision making process that, 303 00:18:29,809 --> 00:18:34,350 uh, that had me switch careers midlife by following two passions. 304 00:18:34,389 --> 00:18:39,009 And one of the most important things that I learned from him is a phrase that he 305 00:18:39,009 --> 00:18:43,609 uses where he says, To succeed in life, you have to have more than one skill. 306 00:18:44,659 --> 00:18:50,385 And so, I agree with you, there's people who have a single set of skills and 307 00:18:50,385 --> 00:18:54,355 they can actually have a pretty good life based on that one set of skills. 308 00:18:56,444 --> 00:18:59,825 The issue, not a problem, but the issue with that is that there could 309 00:18:59,825 --> 00:19:03,725 be other opportunities for different scenarios, there could be betterment, 310 00:19:03,725 --> 00:19:07,165 there could be anything, but they might not be able to take advantage of them 311 00:19:07,165 --> 00:19:10,035 because they don't have the skills to be prepared to take advantage, 312 00:19:10,085 --> 00:19:11,925 even to recognize the opportunity. 313 00:19:12,345 --> 00:19:15,834 Not only can they not take advantage of the opportunity, but they might not even 314 00:19:15,834 --> 00:19:17,205 recognize that there's an opportunity. 315 00:19:18,005 --> 00:19:21,875 So, if you have more than one skill, if you have multiple skills, you actually 316 00:19:21,875 --> 00:19:23,824 end up having different opportunities. 317 00:19:24,105 --> 00:19:27,495 So you can do that zig and zagging associated with life changes that 318 00:19:27,495 --> 00:19:31,104 we just talked about a second ago, based on how life evolves. 319 00:19:31,115 --> 00:19:34,765 It doesn't mean that one person is better than the other person, it's 320 00:19:34,765 --> 00:19:39,375 that one person might be providing themselves with better opportunities 321 00:19:39,415 --> 00:19:43,835 to address opportunities that come by, which is exactly what you said. 322 00:19:44,415 --> 00:19:47,035 And that's exactly what's happened with my career. 323 00:19:47,305 --> 00:19:53,154 The, the wanting to have more than one skill is an essential concept that, 324 00:19:53,185 --> 00:19:56,865 that Jim Rohn made me think about, you know, probably I was driving in my 325 00:19:56,865 --> 00:20:00,555 vehicle, driving from farm A to farm B with, you know, we used to call it 326 00:20:00,565 --> 00:20:03,959 windshield time and that time spent on the vehicle during farm calls. 327 00:20:04,409 --> 00:20:06,419 And it's, you know, it starts gets you thinking, you know, 328 00:20:06,419 --> 00:20:07,739 I already speak Spanish. 329 00:20:07,739 --> 00:20:12,620 I grew up speaking Spanish, I speak English, I speak Spanglish, I speak 330 00:20:12,620 --> 00:20:17,029 barn Spanish, I, you know, I have multiple language skills, but now 331 00:20:17,029 --> 00:20:18,529 I speak the language of finance. 332 00:20:18,529 --> 00:20:20,089 I speak the language of business. 333 00:20:20,500 --> 00:20:25,020 Now I can speak the language of those things in the education side, like 334 00:20:25,020 --> 00:20:29,370 how do I communicate with students learning the differences between. 335 00:20:30,199 --> 00:20:33,610 When I was a student here at the college versus the students that we have here 336 00:20:33,610 --> 00:20:38,879 now, their, their cultural upbringing is different, the, um, mentality, the, um, 337 00:20:41,140 --> 00:20:42,569 it's just a different type of student. 338 00:20:42,569 --> 00:20:45,999 So, so you adapt to that and you have to develop a skill to be able 339 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:49,170 to adapt to the changes, even though the scenario is the same thing, 340 00:20:49,180 --> 00:20:50,460 they're learning veterinary medicine. 341 00:20:50,899 --> 00:20:56,040 And so, as you're saying, Not one person is necessarily better than another, but, 342 00:20:56,150 --> 00:21:01,629 but having multiple skills just allows you to be more a jack of all trades, to 343 00:21:01,629 --> 00:21:03,750 be able to adapt to different scenarios. 344 00:21:05,689 --> 00:21:11,730 Now, you had said that current students mentality is different, and I, I agree. 345 00:21:11,730 --> 00:21:17,150 I, I have observed it myself as well, and I am, by the way, a little bit like you, 346 00:21:17,180 --> 00:21:23,435 where I, I kept thinking I'm like them, and, and then, and then I, um, Just last 347 00:21:23,435 --> 00:21:29,034 week, I was at a dentist and the dentist said, I won't share too much details here, 348 00:21:29,034 --> 00:21:35,485 but the dentist said, you know, you're, you have this issue, but generally, 349 00:21:35,744 --> 00:21:39,854 you know, we would, we would treat it, but at your age, we can just moderate. 350 00:21:40,004 --> 00:21:41,204 I'm only at my age. 351 00:21:41,204 --> 00:21:44,664 I, I don't think I'm like at the, at my age conversation. 352 00:21:45,304 --> 00:21:48,464 Um, but I, sometimes I, you know, catch myself with that and I have, 353 00:21:48,485 --> 00:21:53,840 you know, teenager, you know, children who Who keep telling me, you know, 354 00:21:54,139 --> 00:22:00,960 like at your age, um, and, and, um, and I, I have noticed though, the 355 00:22:00,960 --> 00:22:03,110 mentality is, it really is different. 356 00:22:03,110 --> 00:22:05,779 What is your observation when you talk to your students? 357 00:22:05,930 --> 00:22:11,280 How it compares to when you were their age and that you were also a 358 00:22:11,280 --> 00:22:13,170 student at the undergraduate level? 359 00:22:13,629 --> 00:22:16,530 Well, I'll be careful here with my words because I don't want to make it sound 360 00:22:16,540 --> 00:22:20,689 like, yeah, when we were younger, we were uphill both ways and all that stuff. 361 00:22:20,689 --> 00:22:21,429 I don't want to say that, but. 362 00:22:21,960 --> 00:22:28,910 Just, um, the mentality of the student is different, um, uh, these 363 00:22:28,910 --> 00:22:32,350 are real things that obviously we had when we were younger. 364 00:22:32,350 --> 00:22:35,810 We just didn't talk about it or think about it or it wasn't a societal 365 00:22:35,890 --> 00:22:38,040 issue, but mental health for example. 366 00:22:38,570 --> 00:22:41,360 Um, I was just talking to some students this morning. 367 00:22:41,824 --> 00:22:45,874 Um, they are in their fourth year clinical rotation here through the hospital. 368 00:22:45,884 --> 00:22:49,594 They rotate through the different sections within the hospital, large 369 00:22:49,594 --> 00:22:51,134 animals, small animal, multiple things. 370 00:22:51,555 --> 00:22:55,205 And I was talking to some students who are in large animal and they were working 371 00:22:55,205 --> 00:22:58,115 with some horses and some cows and pigs. 372 00:22:58,554 --> 00:23:02,155 And they were talking about the fact that they were on their second week of their 373 00:23:02,155 --> 00:23:06,895 rotation and they were physically tired of the tremendous amount of work that 374 00:23:06,895 --> 00:23:11,155 they have to do as students working and the long hours required by the rotation. 375 00:23:11,785 --> 00:23:15,285 And I was stopping by because I was doing something in the barn and they said, Dr. 376 00:23:15,285 --> 00:23:17,985 Colon, how did you do this when you were in practice? 377 00:23:17,985 --> 00:23:21,585 Because at one point in time, you told us that we're at, at one point in 378 00:23:21,585 --> 00:23:24,405 your career, you were starting at the farm at five o'clock in the morning. 379 00:23:24,845 --> 00:23:26,595 What time were you making it home? 380 00:23:26,975 --> 00:23:30,935 And my answer was, well, whenever the last emergency was taken care of. 381 00:23:31,365 --> 00:23:34,985 Sometimes it was five o'clock in the afternoon and sometimes it 382 00:23:34,985 --> 00:23:36,075 was two o'clock in the morning. 383 00:23:36,909 --> 00:23:39,000 And they're like, well, what time did you go to work the next day? 384 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:41,639 I'm like, well, I was at the first farm at five o'clock in the morning. 385 00:23:42,439 --> 00:23:43,909 But you just said you went to bed at two. 386 00:23:43,909 --> 00:23:46,159 I'm like, well, sometimes I didn't go to bed because I 387 00:23:46,169 --> 00:23:47,439 had to be at the farm at five. 388 00:23:47,919 --> 00:23:55,459 So we, we had a mentality about work that is not trying to say anything 389 00:23:55,459 --> 00:23:57,069 that is superior to what they have now. 390 00:23:57,069 --> 00:23:58,379 I'm not trying to say that at all. 391 00:23:58,780 --> 00:24:02,379 But the component of mental health comes now into the equation, something 392 00:24:02,379 --> 00:24:06,120 that Again, not that we didn't have that, but it's, it's in the 393 00:24:06,120 --> 00:24:10,460 forefront of conversations today in work life balance, for example. 394 00:24:10,570 --> 00:24:14,759 The words work life balance exist as individual words, but they were 395 00:24:14,770 --> 00:24:20,310 not part of the same sentence back when I graduated back in 1995, right? 396 00:24:20,310 --> 00:24:27,065 And so So, so some of the approaches to workload and need for time off for 397 00:24:27,065 --> 00:24:30,195 the compression and the ability to have self time and all the things, 398 00:24:30,215 --> 00:24:32,045 it's different now than it was then. 399 00:24:32,624 --> 00:24:35,885 Um, and so some of the things translate to the components 400 00:24:35,905 --> 00:24:37,904 of in the classroom scenario. 401 00:24:38,615 --> 00:24:45,055 Um, I remember when I was a student, um, and it didn't, it didn't matter 402 00:24:45,055 --> 00:24:48,755 how long of a night you not had the night before because you were 403 00:24:48,755 --> 00:24:51,865 studying or you were having a really good time with your friends. 404 00:24:52,510 --> 00:24:55,610 For the most part, most of us just showed up to class the next day. 405 00:24:55,650 --> 00:24:57,240 Like you didn't skip a class. 406 00:24:58,280 --> 00:25:02,850 Not attending classes in person now is actually a very, very common scenario. 407 00:25:03,050 --> 00:25:07,140 People now have the opportunity because of things that happened with COVID. 408 00:25:07,595 --> 00:25:11,675 All classes, most of the foundation classes are recorded for many 409 00:25:11,675 --> 00:25:17,504 different reasons, um, students that need, um, special services needs that 410 00:25:17,504 --> 00:25:19,345 need classes, recording, et cetera. 411 00:25:19,504 --> 00:25:20,915 So people are taking advantage of that. 412 00:25:20,915 --> 00:25:23,245 And then they just don't show up to class. 413 00:25:23,744 --> 00:25:26,154 And that's something that I would have never done when I was in their shoes. 414 00:25:26,165 --> 00:25:28,729 So, so the method of learning is even different. 415 00:25:28,850 --> 00:25:32,790 Um, because of the technology that they have available, when you and I were 416 00:25:32,800 --> 00:25:36,210 probably in school recording class was never even a component of anything unless 417 00:25:36,220 --> 00:25:40,130 somebody had a VHS camera and that would have been like brand new technology. 418 00:25:41,200 --> 00:25:46,939 So, so there's things that are different and they translate into changes in the way 419 00:25:46,939 --> 00:25:52,260 that students learn or students approach learning and the way that these people 420 00:25:52,260 --> 00:25:53,980 approach the work that needs to be done. 421 00:25:53,980 --> 00:25:55,260 So all these things are different. 422 00:25:55,699 --> 00:25:59,620 Not that we were climbing uphill both ways, but it's just different 423 00:26:00,139 --> 00:26:01,439 in a different way for them. 424 00:26:01,439 --> 00:26:03,429 It's difficult for them the way it is for them now. 425 00:26:03,429 --> 00:26:06,039 It was difficult for us the way that it was for us back then. 426 00:26:06,040 --> 00:26:07,750 I mean, it's just a different scenario. 427 00:26:08,179 --> 00:26:13,239 I, as a mentor for them now and a teacher for them, now I have to adapt 428 00:26:13,250 --> 00:26:18,430 to their system and not let those Thoughts in my head of what it was like 429 00:26:18,430 --> 00:26:22,430 when I was here influence how I think they should be feeling because now 430 00:26:22,430 --> 00:26:23,740 I gotta adapt to what they're doing. 431 00:26:23,910 --> 00:26:25,470 So there's just changes. 432 00:26:25,520 --> 00:26:26,150 It's just different. 433 00:26:26,870 --> 00:26:31,669 I think that's amazing that you're able to talk about those things so, 434 00:26:32,010 --> 00:26:33,949 um, you know, you simplified it. 435 00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:37,750 So it's very easy to understand and see those scenarios. 436 00:26:38,050 --> 00:26:39,430 Because I feel the same way. 437 00:26:39,630 --> 00:26:42,340 I mean, I'm one of the creators of Digication. 438 00:26:42,830 --> 00:26:49,724 And when we created Digication, there's a certain pedagogical There's a lot of 439 00:26:49,725 --> 00:26:54,495 pedagogical goals that we try to reach, but I will say that some of the ways 440 00:26:54,495 --> 00:26:56,175 that I see how people use it today. 441 00:26:56,685 --> 00:27:02,165 Those are not the ways that I had thought that I, how I would have used it when I 442 00:27:02,165 --> 00:27:05,055 was, you know, a student at their age. 443 00:27:05,575 --> 00:27:10,255 Um, when I was thinking about things like people are reflecting on things 444 00:27:10,315 --> 00:27:13,055 kind of similar to your windshield time. 445 00:27:13,735 --> 00:27:18,215 Um, it's not to that level of sort of reflection. 446 00:27:18,235 --> 00:27:20,134 It's always about the work itself. 447 00:27:20,810 --> 00:27:23,700 You know, so I studied, I had studied to be an architect. 448 00:27:24,090 --> 00:27:27,840 So I'm using that time to think about deeply on the architectural 449 00:27:28,530 --> 00:27:32,749 concepts or ideas I might have or different solutions to a problem. 450 00:27:33,370 --> 00:27:39,429 But you know what I have discovered today, as much as we, you know, you just talked 451 00:27:39,429 --> 00:27:43,189 about work life balance, but I also think that it comes with people now starting 452 00:27:43,189 --> 00:27:44,800 to talk about meaning and purpose. 453 00:27:45,580 --> 00:27:49,710 And meaning and purpose was not something that me or my classmates talked about. 454 00:27:50,449 --> 00:27:53,110 We would talk about the rigor of the work itself. 455 00:27:53,455 --> 00:27:57,435 You know, like how, how brilliant this solution could be, et cetera. 456 00:27:57,495 --> 00:28:01,735 It gets actually almost like overly nerdy and philosophical sometimes, 457 00:28:02,325 --> 00:28:04,885 but it doesn't go into the. 458 00:28:05,430 --> 00:28:07,010 Meaning and purpose so much. 459 00:28:07,760 --> 00:28:13,900 Today, I hear architecture students talk about how does architecture and the space 460 00:28:13,900 --> 00:28:18,430 that we build create justice for society. 461 00:28:19,170 --> 00:28:24,960 You know, how do we do this to reflect on, you know, climate change 462 00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:28,870 and, you know, change in, you know, whatever the issues that are in the 463 00:28:28,870 --> 00:28:30,700 world, maybe locally or globally. 464 00:28:31,690 --> 00:28:36,159 Those are the kind of things that I felt like we didn't even have 465 00:28:36,159 --> 00:28:37,690 the language to even talk about. 466 00:28:39,565 --> 00:28:42,995 And I don't know, maybe I was just super naive and was just my hand in 467 00:28:42,995 --> 00:28:45,075 the, you know, in the sand too much. 468 00:28:45,325 --> 00:28:48,185 I couldn't tell what's going on in the rest of the world and now 469 00:28:48,185 --> 00:28:49,925 maybe that's just more amplified. 470 00:28:50,564 --> 00:28:55,385 So I, I do think that, you know, as much as, you know, these changes 471 00:28:55,404 --> 00:28:59,114 also had brought in some really interesting components that, 472 00:28:59,674 --> 00:29:00,844 that to me is really different. 473 00:29:00,935 --> 00:29:04,404 I see students portfolios these days, you know. 474 00:29:05,544 --> 00:29:11,925 The, it's almost like it takes, I also, by the way, was traded as an architect 475 00:29:11,925 --> 00:29:14,554 and look what I, you know, I'm like doing all completely different things. 476 00:29:14,564 --> 00:29:18,225 So sort of multiple career and, you know, taking on the opportunities. 477 00:29:18,225 --> 00:29:19,374 I felt really lucky about that. 478 00:29:20,114 --> 00:29:22,594 I almost feel like some students when I see their portfolios. 479 00:29:23,620 --> 00:29:25,980 You know, they're, they're, they're in college. 480 00:29:25,980 --> 00:29:28,800 They already have had those experiences in life. 481 00:29:29,270 --> 00:29:32,540 You know, they tried internships, they tried, they did study abroad. 482 00:29:33,845 --> 00:29:37,935 They did, you know, um, you know, uh, had certain opportunities 483 00:29:37,935 --> 00:29:39,555 when they were young, etc. 484 00:29:40,095 --> 00:29:43,925 And they already taking the time to have those moments. 485 00:29:44,135 --> 00:29:46,385 And I really felt like I didn't have that, you know? 486 00:29:47,335 --> 00:29:52,014 Yeah, when, I agree with everything you just said and, and just going 487 00:29:52,014 --> 00:29:55,045 back slightly, um, I agree with you. 488 00:29:55,045 --> 00:29:58,275 I, in my mind, I want to think that these things that we're experiencing 489 00:29:58,275 --> 00:29:59,925 today did not exist when we were them. 490 00:30:00,505 --> 00:30:05,335 But they did, they just weren't amplified, just like you say, it's more a forefront 491 00:30:05,345 --> 00:30:09,764 within today's culture than it was back then, it cannot be something that 492 00:30:09,765 --> 00:30:15,425 just was created brand new, it just existed all along, we either did not pay 493 00:30:15,425 --> 00:30:18,964 attention even though it was around us, so I think you and I are very similar 494 00:30:18,964 --> 00:30:25,335 in that way, or it was just not part of, it was not amplified within the society 495 00:30:25,345 --> 00:30:29,105 that we lived in, I don't think it's new, I just think that it was just Not 496 00:30:29,105 --> 00:30:30,945 that big of a factor when back when. 497 00:30:31,725 --> 00:30:32,735 I think you're absolutely right. 498 00:30:32,755 --> 00:30:38,634 I mean, I, I did remember clearly that it was a lot about like, I need to find 499 00:30:38,634 --> 00:30:43,605 a job and career and, and, and, and survive and make money and pay rent. 500 00:30:44,205 --> 00:30:49,715 You know, but it was not, um, I guess that, you know, all of us would have 501 00:30:49,855 --> 00:30:54,655 wanted something that we like doing, you know, but, but that was not as important, 502 00:30:54,655 --> 00:30:59,594 you know, it was, it was almost like, I just wanted to make it, it, it didn't, 503 00:30:59,604 --> 00:31:03,484 didn't matter, give me a job and I'll do it, you know, at least that's how I 504 00:31:03,494 --> 00:31:08,535 felt, you know, we didn't have the, you know, it just, um, you know, sometimes 505 00:31:08,535 --> 00:31:10,925 you also don't know enough, right? 506 00:31:11,535 --> 00:31:15,625 Um, you don't know enough, like we weren't exposed, climate change exists. 507 00:31:16,680 --> 00:31:21,660 You know, Al Gore wasn't there to talk about it, and so unless you are 508 00:31:21,660 --> 00:31:26,600 really, uh, uh, really niche into understanding, you know, as a climate 509 00:31:26,620 --> 00:31:28,740 scientist, you wouldn't be aware. 510 00:31:29,300 --> 00:31:30,599 Um, right? 511 00:31:30,709 --> 00:31:33,130 You know, I'm very much like you in that regards. 512 00:31:33,430 --> 00:31:34,950 Um, completely agree. 513 00:31:35,360 --> 00:31:39,040 And to touch on a point you said on the latter part of your previous statement, 514 00:31:39,240 --> 00:31:42,429 where you talked about what you see on the students Digication portfolios 515 00:31:42,429 --> 00:31:47,990 today, I'm living this exact same thing that you're describing, because now I'm 516 00:31:47,990 --> 00:31:53,449 afraid actually that this usage of the portfolio with my veterinary students, 517 00:31:55,119 --> 00:31:58,660 you know, we talk about imposter syndrome within the veterinary space, because 518 00:31:58,660 --> 00:32:03,175 it's a big, really big deal, you know, imposter syndrome is a It's a very 519 00:32:03,175 --> 00:32:12,505 real scenario and more so in the, the healthcare scenario where one day you're 520 00:32:12,695 --> 00:32:16,044 Joel or Jane Doe and next day you're Dr. 521 00:32:16,335 --> 00:32:17,605 Joel or Jane Doe, right? 522 00:32:17,605 --> 00:32:22,495 And so you have these responsibilities and so, um, I, I help students to understand 523 00:32:22,495 --> 00:32:25,975 how to, you cannot eliminate it, but you can, how do you, how do you handle it? 524 00:32:25,995 --> 00:32:26,805 How do you cope with it? 525 00:32:26,815 --> 00:32:28,135 How do you conquer it? 526 00:32:28,135 --> 00:32:28,615 Et cetera. 527 00:32:29,575 --> 00:32:34,535 As I look at these students portfolio and I see exactly what you're saying, The 528 00:32:34,625 --> 00:32:38,395 things that they have accomplished, the things that they have done, the languages 529 00:32:38,395 --> 00:32:43,265 they speak, the places that they've been, the research that they've done, at, at 530 00:32:43,265 --> 00:32:47,115 their age, I hadn't done, like, I hadn't even dreamed of doing those things. 531 00:32:47,325 --> 00:32:50,964 So I'm like, I'm feeling more and more like an imposter because I'm 532 00:32:50,965 --> 00:32:52,375 their teacher for this course. 533 00:32:52,604 --> 00:32:56,835 And so the more and more I read these portfolios, the more and more blown away 534 00:32:56,835 --> 00:32:58,945 I am by the fact that when I was them. 535 00:32:59,410 --> 00:33:03,680 I was nowhere close to being the quality of the people that these people are 536 00:33:04,400 --> 00:33:09,380 when I was at that stage of their life, so, so I need to, uh, always try to 537 00:33:09,380 --> 00:33:14,010 prevent them from seeing me as, uh, completely an imposter for, for being 538 00:33:14,010 --> 00:33:17,529 the quote unquote teacher of their class, but, but I'm seeing the exact 539 00:33:17,529 --> 00:33:18,650 same thing that you're mentioning. 540 00:33:19,600 --> 00:33:23,350 The things that these students are accomplishing at a much younger age. 541 00:33:23,750 --> 00:33:28,080 Age in their career is incredible, incredible. 542 00:33:28,080 --> 00:33:31,590 And to me, that's one of the biggest values of the portfolio, the 543 00:33:31,590 --> 00:33:33,779 ability to showcase these things. 544 00:33:34,380 --> 00:33:38,080 Um, and when we get to talking about the portfolio, I can share more on it, but. 545 00:33:38,405 --> 00:33:42,305 But it's what's creating the difference and how the portfolio 546 00:33:42,305 --> 00:33:46,045 within the way that I use it here at the college has just taken off like 547 00:33:46,045 --> 00:33:50,395 a wildfire in the process of creating a difference for these students. 548 00:33:51,505 --> 00:33:53,615 This concludes part one of our conversation. 549 00:33:54,044 --> 00:33:55,044 To hear part two. 550 00:33:55,325 --> 00:34:00,185 Be sure to subscribe to Digication Scholars Conversations on YouTube, iTunes, 551 00:34:00,565 --> 00:34:02,795 Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. 552 00:34:03,365 --> 00:34:07,555 The Digication Scholars Conversations series is brought to you by Digication, 553 00:34:07,995 --> 00:34:11,885 a technology platform powering the most innovative ePortfolio programs 554 00:34:12,245 --> 00:34:13,934 in K 12 and higher education. 555 00:34:14,554 --> 00:34:17,465 Our website can be found at digication.com. 556 00:34:17,625 --> 00:34:20,755 If you enjoyed today's conversation, please like, 557 00:34:20,885 --> 00:34:22,525 subscribe, and share with a friend. 558 00:34:22,824 --> 00:34:23,595 Thanks for watching.