English: Oklahoma State University Athletics logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

(Originally posted from The Daily O’Collegian April 23, 2013)

As the summer weather starts to roll in, some of us will move and be classified as alumni of Oklahoma State University or continue on as students waiting until the time comes to walk across the stage.

Whether or not you are graduating, one thing is for certain: you will carry on the legacy and recognition of being a Cowboy/Cowgirl wherever you go.

As you set forth on your adventures remember one thing: take the opportunities as they come to you and go with confidence knowing the opportunity will bring your great fortune and wisdom.

When I was back home in Chicago years ago, I would have never thought that an email from a political science professor, who later became chair of my thesis committee when I was a graduate student in the Political Science program, would open the doors for me to countless opportunities since being at OSU.

That is why when the opportunity comes to you, whether it’s by word of mouth, email, phone call or conversation, take it if you know it feels right and seize it.

Seizing the opportunity and making the best out of it is what caused several of our illustrious alumni to be wealthy enough to share it with the OSU community through donations, scholarships, funding for research (through faculty chairmanships) or having buildings named after them. T. Boone Pickens made sure his name is widely recognized by all.

I may not have gray hair or the wealth of T. Boone Pickens or N. Malone Mitchell III yet, but what I can say is seize the opportunities as they come forth and make the best out of them.

So take the summer job in New Hampshire or accept the management training program at a corporation based in Florida placing you overseas.

My final piece of advice for my fellow Cowgirls is to be classy and demand respect and for my fellow Cowboys to wash their hands and for heavens sakes flush the toilet.

Until next time my fellow Cowboys & Cowgirls is stay classy, stay rowdy and seize the opportunities.

© All Rights Reserved. Jose Fulgencio 2013

Latin America and the Caribbean (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

(Originally Posted from The Daily O’Collegian April 11, 2013)

Latinos across the world and the United States are making an impact in the economy, politics, and religion and in sports.

Here in the U.S., according to the 2010 U.S. Census Report, Latinos are the fastest growing population with one-in-four children being of Latino descent and one-in-six adults being of Latino descent.

The economy continues to slowly gradually rise, but behind the scenes Latinos have been the oil that continues to accelerate the great American engine. Whether it’s picking apples in the state of Washington, washing dishes at a local Chinese buffet or cleaning out the rooms at the Hyatt Regency in uptown Manhattan, Latinos make sure American keeps moving even if it means doing it silently with little pay and no glory.

The rise in the Latino population increased the Latino vote making the 2012 Presidential election a disaster for the Republican Party and a success for the Democratic Party. Republicans finally realized the immigration rhetoric of “send them back” will backlash in the voting booths. Republicans are scrambling to create a plan to increase Latino Republican registered voters; just a little suggestion would be to oust the Tea Party and not rely on Sen. Marco Rubio for a miracle.

Internationally, the recent death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez left Latin leaders across Central and South America wondering what would be of Venezuela, and it gave hope to the U.S. that a better leader would emerge so friendly pacts can continue without the political damaging rhetoric that lived under Hugo Chavez.

In religion, the newest elected Pope, Pope Francis, hails from Argentina and is the first Pope outside of Europe. The election of the first Latino Pope makes sense because 40 percent of the Catholic population resides in Latin America.

Did you see the World Baseball Classic Championship? Sorry Bubba but the U.S. was not in the championship game. This time it was between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic came out on top.

The Dominican’s victory was not a surprise because half of the MLB players and stars come from Mexico, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Cuba and Dominican Republican. Each played for their respected countries.

What is surprising to me is why would the MLB championship series be called the World Series when the majority of the players hail from Latin America, Asian nations making a mark and the U.S. cannot even win a Word Baseball Classic championship?

Overall, the rise of Latinos in the U.S. not only in population but also with registered voters, dominating the game of baseball and having its first Pope signifies a movement toward Latino affection for dominance.

The world is globalizing faster than one can imagine, and the U.S. is having its own global shift in ethnic population with Latinos making an impact. Will you be ready for it?

© All Rights Reserved. Jose Fulgencio 2013

Oklahoma State University–Stillwater (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

(Original article was published in the O’Colly Newspaper – March 28, 2013)

Several of you have probably accepted a well paying job in a local company in Oklahoma or Texas believing you seized the opportunity of a life time.

In reality, you accepted the job because you want to stay close to your family or decided to go where your significant other is going because you can’t bear the thought of not being close to either one.

Staying close to home is something of the past. We are living in a globalized society where people can connect anywhere in the world with a touch of button just as fast as your job can ship overseas. No longer do we live in a society where we can start to work for a company we call home for the next 40 years like our parents and grandparents did.

This globalized time calls for drastic changes into our mentality of seizing the opportunity where it is offered, not where we believe it is offered. All of the prosperous alumni of OSU, from T. Boone Pickens to Garth Brooks, took the risk in their career to seize the opportunity, and you should do the same.

Whether that means moving to the state of Vermont or across the sea to London for a prosperous career, then do so. Yes, I know you will miss mommy and daddy, but if the international students who come here from as far away as India and China can leave their family behind for years and seize the opportunity then why can’t you? Forget about your significant other. As the saying goes, if it is meant to be between you it will happen.

I made the decision about two years ago to take the risk and come to Oklahoma State from Chicago for graduate school. The decision was tough because I had to leave my family, friends and a loved one, but the opportunities ever since I arrived have been worth the risk. It seems as if Oklahoma won’t let me go, and it continues to offer the opportunities.

The opportunities are out there; you just have to seize them as they come because the work field revolves around no human being. It revolves with the changing minds that make it happen.

So you can sit there and wait for a job in your hometown that will likely not come or get up and take the job across the country and seize the opportunity.

You never know when seizing that opportunity can make you wealthy enough to put your name on the football stadium or well known to possibly become the president of OSU one day. If the opportunity to have a successful career lies across the ocean, will you take it or leave it?

Don’t think about it too much because you will quickly realize the game of life is about to begin as soon as graduation day is over. Graduating from college doesn’t just signify freedom, but it also means taking the risk to seize the opportunity in your career and life.

© Jose L. Fulgencio 2013

Khan Academy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

(Originally posted by The Social Media Monthly – March 1, 2013)

Hispanics are the fastest growing population in the U.S.; 1 in 4 children born in the U.S. are of Hispanic descent. Yet Hispanics still lag behind in every educational level, from pre-kindergarten to professional education, in terms of retention and graduation. The reasons can range from lack of funding, outreach, and poor quality teachers, but one thing is for certain: something can be done.

The growing social media phenomenon has grown at such fast rates that it gets difficult to obtain all of the social media sites thrown at us. From Google+, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to YouTube, the platforms are endless and can be used to educate young Hispanics. Social media and the Internet have given the capability to anyone from the world to connect, learn and educate oneself without having to rely on poor quality institutions.

*(Editor’s note: the author is Founder & CEO of Latin Dimensions Media, LLC)

© Jose L. Fulgencio 2013

Laura’s Graduation (Photo credit: notashamed)

(Originally posted Sunday, March 3, 2013 at The Daily O’Collegian Newspaper)

For those of you graduating in May, the date could not come any sooner.

Soon you will be walking down the aisle receiving your diploma cover, and your name will be called out with some having family members scream so loud that it makes others get annoyed. Once you stop celebrating your graduation ceremony, life begins to hit harder than you expected.

It will hit you harder than the painful loss to Oklahoma in Bedlam during the football season or the time your computer crashed the night before your project was due.

The pain begins when the amount of bills increase, student loans must be paid back, your parents expect you to leave and, for some, wedding bells start ringing. Whether you decided to launch straight into your career or do the insane thing and go to law school, one thing is for certain: know exactly why you made the decision.

Nothing is more dangerous than for an individual to pursue a destination after college because he or she did not know what they wanted to do with his or her life.

You’ve been through a similar road before, but you probably never noticed. If you go back to the days of when you first entered college you probably had no idea as to why you decided to even attend college.

You either had to because everyone in your family attended college, you were motivated, your significant other decided to go so you decided to go, you wanted to party (how’s that working out for you?) or you wanted to make your family proud by being the first in your family to attend college.

Whatever the reason was, you stuck by it and managed to get through the college experience. You are halfway through and I applaud you.

As the saying goes “only the few survive” and the same mentality should go with you once you step down the aisle on graduation day. You are on the verge of entering a world where “only the few survive,” and if you are not aware of your surroundings major life downfalls can happen.

As someone who is still going through life, I cannot say I am an expert or have enough gray hair to be a Dr. Phil, but make sure your decisions are wise ones and make the best out of it. Enjoy the last few months, enjoy spring break and remember in the words of Oliver Emberton, “Your life is your story to write.”

© Jose L. Fulgencio 2013

English: Chicago Bulls Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson 1997 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

(Originally posted on The Daily O’Collegian February 22, 2013)

Michael Jordan, arguably the best basketball player of all-time, recently celebrated his 50th birthday and is still keeping busy leading in the business field.

Although MJ is retired, others routinely copy his style of playing but to no success. What should be copied is the MJ leadership style: being a team player, being mentored correctly and leading a team with a “we did it” mentality.

Students of Oklahoma State, you can learn from greatness and apply the MJ leadership styles in the classroom, campus organizations, life and professional career.

MJ’s leadership starts with playing as a team member, mentored to lead a team and push your teammates to do their best. The millennial generation and future generations seem to be missing the boat and have been labeled as the “Me, Me, Me” generations.

One cannot be a “Me, Me, Me” person and expect others to follow you. Learn to help others, listen when needed, outreach to those in need and make sure that it’s a “we did it” not a “I did it.”

During the beginning of MJ’s NBA career, he was all about “Me, Me, Me” and could not win a championship until he started playing with a “we did it” mentality.

In order to be a better leader one has to find that mentor who will push you to the limits in a positive way.  MJ wouldn’t be the player he was if it was not for coach Phil Jackson.

Jackson was able to guide MJ to be a leader on the court and command his troops to greatness. The individual mentoring has to be someone who has what it takes to push you as a leader and make you think in a “we” matter no “me.”

Leading by example speaks louder than words. MJ did so always playing his best no matter the health conditions, win-loss record or team tensions that arose. MJ pushed everyone on his team, even Dennis Rodman, to do their best, so make sure you push your team forward not just yourself.

To lead you’re going to have to go through the tough road ahead and make sure you let your actions guide you, not your words. MJ’s actions on the court speak for itself. Do the same for your team. Let your examples lead you so that you can lead others.

MJ won 6 championships not because of the “Me, Me, Me” mentality but because of the “we did it” mentality. Can you lead a team to success using the MJ leadership style?

© Jose L. Fulgencio 2013

Little Africa on fire. Tulsa Race Riot, June 1st, 1921 This photo was taken from on top of the Santa Fe Freight office at 1st St. and Elgin Ave., showing the fires on Archer towards Greenwood. The Goodner-Malone company (1 N. Frankfurt) building is in the center of the photo. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

(Originally posted on The Daily O’Collegian February 6, 2013)

As the celebration of Black History Month (February) begins, we cannot forget how the African-American community has impacted all U.S. communities by breaking the racial barriers.

These people include Dr. Marin Luther King’s Civil Rights marches, Jesse Owens’ spectacular showing at the 1936 Olympic games in Berlin, Rosa Parks’ standing up for herself when she refused to sit in the back of the bus, Michael Jackson’s international music impact and the number of other prominent Civil Right leaders and legends that made impacts in sports, business and communities.

What has been forgotten by some but not all is the silent impact that Black Wall Street in Tulsa had on minority communities throughout the United States. Black Wall Street was a section of the Greenwood community of northern Tulsa in the early 1900’s with thriving entrepreneurs of black-owned businesses ranging from grocery stores, medical and law offices to newspapers. Black Wall Street was thriving and booming with African-Americans from all over the south moving to the Greenwood community to get a piece of the action.

Unfortunately the hatred by some and miss-happenings of the incident sparked outrage that led to the destruction of Black Wall Street. The thriving entrepreneurial spirit of Black Wall Street came to a closing starting May 30, 1921.

Although Greenwood today is not a reflection of Black Wall Street of the 1900s, the entrepreneurial spirit that was started with Black Wall Street has silently continued in minority communities throughout the U.S.

One community recognized as a thriving entrepreneurial community is Little Village, which is in the South Side Lawndale community of Chicago located north of the Stevenson Expressway (I-55).

Little Village is known as the “Mexico of the Midwest,” and let me tell you it is very true and has been named by Mayor Rahm Emanuel as the “2nd Magnificent Mile” because of the $1,000 billion plus in sales generated on a yearly basis. For those who do not know, the Chicago Magnificent Mile it is the shopping enclave of Downtown Chicago.

Little Village was once a dominant German, Czech (Bohemian) and later on Polish community to what is now present day dominant Hispanic community, mostly if not all of Mexican descent. When you walk around Little Village community you forget that you’re even in the U.S. because it literally feels that you’re in Mexico. Sorry spring breakers, it is not like party-town Cancun but an actual Mexican town that you would see in non-spring break vacation cities.

Little Village thrives on the entrepreneurial spirit ranging from the survival businesses of people selling fruit, corn on the cob (Mexican style) and ice cream. There are lifestyle businesses such as restaurants, clothing stores and music shops all the way to manage growth of businesses.

Let me tell you the Mexican food restaurants in Little Village are by far the best. Not many can match the taste of what real Mexican food is like in Little Village. Being in Stillwater, I have yet to find the same quality.

Just as the entrepreneurial spirit sparked the success of African-Americans of the 1900s Black Wall Street in Tulsa, its spark has silently touched the Mexican community of Little Village in the South Side of Chicago.

This Black History Month, not only are we celebrating the success of prominent African-Americans but also remembering what Black Wall Street did for the African-American community of Greenwood.

As we celebrate Black History Month, organizations such as the E-Club will be having a Black Wall Street Celebration reflecting upon the entrepreneurial history in the African-American communities throughout the U.S.

© Jose L. Fulgencio 2013

Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram and YouTube have dominated much of young people’s lives. Higher education today is changing at a rapid pace. Online educators such as the Khan Academy are globalizing learning through the Internet. Social media is progressing in higher education and professors from the old training grounds may be losing in this changing environment.

With the handful of social media tools available, the best ones to use in the classroom environment are Twitter, which is a cross between instant messaging and blogging in 140 characters or less; Google+, controlling your circle of friends; and YouTube, the leader in online video watching & sharing, which integrates well into the classroom environment. These tools allow for easier integration of classroom material with real life material and have allowed me to better engage my students.

Twitter allowed me to send students messages using the hashtag #POLS1113, which I used as shorthand for my American Government 1113 class. Using #POLS1113, I communicated to students about relevant material related to the class lectures, classroom announcement on homework and upcoming exams. It worked well because it reduced email clutter. I could instantly send it and not have to constantly send out emails.

Google+ allowed me to have exam review sessions by creating a circle called POLS1113, to which I only invited students from my class. The circle allowed me to have a designated time and day to have a video-conference exam review session. This opened up free space to focus on the classroom material during class time instead of using it for an exam review session.

YouTube was helpful in showing my students real life examples of how Congress works, the 1960s Civil Rights movement and other material related to American Government. I even set aside one class day where I showed my class campaign videos from the very first one ever recorded (President Eisenhower) to the latest ones from both major political parties (the Republican Party and the Democratic Party). Students appreciated my showing them the YouTube videos that related to the classroom material because it gave them context for the material.

There are some setbacks when utilizing Twitter, Google+ and YouTube in the classroom. There has to be a fine line between personal and professional behavior when using Twitter. When you post a tweet that mentions any negativity towards the class and/or students and you have your students following you on Twitter, it could hurt your reputation. Be careful about what pictures and/or tweets you post. The last thing you want is to send out a tweet to your celebrity crush saying you fantasize about them in class and have one of your students re-tweet it, causing you to be the talk of the campus. If you are going to use Twitter, use it appropriately and let students know that it is an option for communicating with you. Should you tweet about your political views, let the class know up front that your political views have no effect on the classroom material should it offend anyone. Students can talk with you during office hours to clarify. Or you can just set up a different Twitter account for academic purposes only.

Also realize that not every student uses Twitter—only 62% of Twitter users are in the age group of 18-34 do. If the majority of your class is composed of non-traditional students, Twitter may not be the best option unless the students feel comfortable with it and have access to Twitter on a daily basis.

Google+ is still a new concept to people and your students may not have Google+ pages of their own. If they have a Gmail account, then they do have a Google+ account. Also, you will have to take time to explain what Google+ is, what the circle is all about and how to set up a Google+ account if they don’t already have a Gmail account. Also the video-conference in the Google+ circle only allowed me talk to ten students at a time. If you have a class of more than 10 students, for Google+ review sessions you will have to divide up the times into 10 people segments.

In the end, social media such as Twitter, Google+ and YouTube, allows users to converse and interact with each other. Social media gives students the opportunity to put class lecture material into real life practical matters. Try it and see if it works. The Khan Academy is changing how education can connect to students across the world. Why not use social media to change the way we connect to students?

Jose L. Fulgencio is a Certified Social Media Associate (e-Marketing Assoc.) and currently finishing his Masters of Science in Entrepreneurship at Oklahoma State University. Follow Mr. Fulgencio on Twitter @jful51 or visit his website www.josefulgencio.com

© Jose L. Fulgencio 2013

After successfully completing the program at Princeton, we both went on to make our impact on society. In late 2010 Kawasi decided to give up millions of dollars in fellowship and scholarships (giving up both the Thomas R. Pickering International Affairs Fellowship and the Charles B. Rangel Fellowship) to pursue his true passion music. Kawasi’s motto in life is that success is having the will, courage, and determination to be the person you believe you were meant to be. This sacrifice is proven this time and again in his passion to save lives.

Kawasi’s EP proves that he has used his life struggles as music inspiration. Instead of taking out the struggles on society he used the past to come out with music that lifts the soul. His music is anchored in the three L’s: life, liberty and love. When listening to “Let me live” be sure to walk away with a rejuvenated spirit and clearer direction on how to deal with life’s problems. Speaking from personal experience, the title track “Let me live” inspired me in many ways (helping me get through my thesis while finishing up my Masters in Political Science). It simply kept me going.

The other tracks on the EP are groundbreaking, starting with the first track “Runaway” written about chasing a dream that never seems to get close enough to reach. There is also a track dedicated to relationship woes, “Are We There Yet,” it touches on the ability for a person to become familiar with love all while falling in love. Continuing to lift spirits with the tracks “Believe” and “giANTs,” both records will inspire you to pull from your inner strength, no matter the set back. This album is certain to succeed when it hits mainstream airwaves. Considered an underdog according to industry standards, Kawasi is sure to make a mark in history with his first body of music. This EP is only a preview of his talent, but Kawasi will certainly lead the next generation of young singers forward with captivating and insightful music.

https://soundcloud.com/kawasiworld

- Jose L. Fulgencio

© Jose L. Fulgencio 2013

Immigration Reform Leaders Arrested 1 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The 113th Congress will be one to remember.