Senior Consultant, Carlos Conejo, Certified Six Sigma Black Belt was the featured Hispanic Heritage Month keynote speaker at the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama.
The keynote speaker took his 400-member audience on an energetic, sometimes amusing ride Thursday at Team Redstone’s Hispanic Heritage Month Program.
But when Carlos Conejo neared the end of his talk, the crowd listened quietly as he made a serious point about living for a purpose, making a difference and helping others. That was the moral of his story about when he was selling books door-to-door to make money for college. A family whose house he approached, a family he assumed was too poor to buy his books from him, surprised him by buying all the books he had for sale.
"I talk about them all the time because they made a difference in my life," said Conejo, president of Multicultural Associates which is a consulting firm based in Thousand Oaks, Calif. He is past president of the Pepperdine University Alumni Association for Ventura County.
Hispanic Americans represent the fastest-growing minority group in the United States. By 2040 America’s Hispanic population will rise from the current 50 million to 120 million. One-out-of-four Americans will be Hispanic.
But Conejo said there needs to be a mindset change because only 40 percent of the 50 million Hispanic Americans have a high school degree. "We have to think differently in order to have America succeed," he said.
Maj. Gen. Jim Rogers, commander of the Aviation and Missile Command and senior commander of Redstone Arsenal, welcomed the program’s attendees in Bob Jones Auditorium.
"It’s always good to recognize the diversity we have in our great nation," Rogers said.
This was the last ethnic observance/special commemoration emceed by Sgt. 1st Class Lance Green, the installation’s equal opportunity program manager, who is retiring. He will start out-processing Oct. 17 and have his retirement ceremony Nov. 3 at 10 a.m. in Bob Jones Auditorium.
Green gave others the credit for the success of these programs. "It’s through support of leadership," he said.
"Many Backgrounds, Many Stories" is this year’s theme for Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15 through Oct. 15.
