Lessons I learned from YLAI

From September 19th to October 24th I participated in a program from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State called Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI), which is a 5-week program for entrepreneurs, that takes 250 promising leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean each year to the United States to expand their leadership and entrepreneurial skills and network through skills-building workshops and opportunities to learn from and exchange with U.S. counterparts.

Participating in this program was a life changing experience, in both my personal and professional life and I want to share with you four lessons that I took home with me with this experience:

1.      Never deny yourself an opportunity:

The first time I read about the YLAI exchange program I didn’t apply. Even when I was extremely interested in the scholarship, I didn’t considered myself as an entrepreneur and believed that I wasn’t a good candidate for the program, but, none the less I subscribed myself to the newsletter and took the several free courses their page provided. Many months after this, I randomly spotted a curios post on social media that said that women usually didn’t apply for job positions if they didn’t meet all the listed criteria, while men usually applied if they meet at least 40% of the indicated criteria for the job position, this curios data, with no scientific base whatsoever, open my eyes to a reality: I had denied myself, in many occasions, by considering that I “wasn’t good enough” or “didn’t meet the criteria”. Therefore, the next year, when the email arrived announcing the opening of the scholarship again, I applied immediately. Being selected to be part of this program confirmed that the only lost battle is the one that you don’t fight.

2.      Keep your eyes on your goal:

People will always question your decisions. When I shared the news of my participation in this program I received many negative and depressing comments that made me doubt my decision. Many said I was putting my marriage in risk by leaving my husband alone for a full month or questioned my capabilities as a mother for leaving a seven year old back home and planning such a demanding trip while pregnant. I understood since the moment I sent the application that I would be leaving my loved ones behind and that it would be a difficult process for all of us, but I knew that by sacrificing a month of our time together I would be able to come back home with many opportunities for our family. I kept me eyes focused on my goal and didn't give up.

3.      “Speramus Meliora. Resurget Cineribus”:

The city of Detroit, better known as the motor city, has this two Latin sentences in its flag, which mean “We hope for better things. It will rise from the ashes". As entrepreneurs we are always dancing over a fine line between success and failure. But, even if we fall, if business doesn’t go that well, if things are not as expected we should always hope for better things, but must importantly we need to resurrect from our ashes like a phoenix and get back on track.

4.      Friends are the family we choose for ourselves:

The real treasure that I won during this program was the friends that I made. The other fellows that were placed with me at Albuquerque, New Mexico, became a true family for me. Living with such lovable, smart and talented people convinced me that the world is not lost and that the future is in our hands to be changed for the better.