Robert Arellanes: From Boyle Heights to Berkeley to Building an Education Empire

0:01 [Music]
0:16 Welcome back to another episode here on the hard and hustle podcast. Our next guest, Robert, coming from Learning LA.
0:22 Robert, can you kind of just talk about what is Learning LA for those that never heard of it before?
0:27 So, Learn LA is um actually the organizational name is Learn and we had
0:33 to use Learn LA as our web address because there was another
0:40 learn entity here in California. So, we we um
0:46 um we had to use that. So, learn is a DBA. Our legal name is the Rio Hondo
0:52 Education Consortium. and people were confusing us with the college, the community college here. So, we chose
0:59 learn. Uh it was straightforward. We're an educational agency. We started as a college access
1:05 um agency working uh in districts of high need to kind of get resources to
1:10 students and help them um make decisions about what they wanted to do postsecary
1:16 education. Love it, man. And and your track record is is this is not the only thing you've
1:23 done, right? You've done a couple of different things. You've gone from Boil Heights to Berkeley to building a learner LA. That's journey that started
1:30 long before your first classroom. What was the like growing up in Boil Heights, man? And then making that leap to to
1:36 Berkeley. growing up in Boil Heights um was very formative. Um you know I it it um
1:45 it was a it was a I mean I'm dating myself here but
1:53 uh you know communities change. It's it's largely a Latino community. It was then
2:01 but it was much more diverse. Um, and even more so when my mother grew there,
2:07 grew up there, and my grandfather was growing up there. Um, so, um, it, uh,
2:15 was a working-class community. My dad was a welder. My mom worked for the schools, and, um, yeah, and really
2:21 shaped who I was and kind of my view of the world. leaving to go to a a a suburban high
2:29 school where we eventually moved to not far from there was a good kind of place
2:34 to cut your teeth on getting ready to leave. uh the population was largely um
2:41 non-white I mean non uh people of color um and it was um less of a mixture of
2:48 other folks but um it was good to be in that in that arena.
2:55 Um and then uh when I left for college again a little bit of the culture shock
3:00 was softened because of that experience and um but but still um a culture shock.
3:07 Yeah. Yeah. And like most that probably go from where you spent most of your time
3:13 to being on the outside of that world, um you probably question yourself whether you belong there and how how did
3:20 you kind of push to that self-doubt because it happens to most of us, right? We kind of go through that self-doubt,
3:26 the imposter syndrome. If you can kind of talk to people on how you were able to overcome that.
3:32 Yeah. Um, I was going to mention that when I was
3:38 just talking cuz that definitely was something that was an issue for me. There were a lot of things that I like
3:44 to do that were fairly mainstream things that kids like to do.
3:49 Mhm. It's just that um
3:55 I was it was really kind of trying to fit into the communities that I hadn't grown up in.
4:01 Yeah. sitting in classrooms um with people who I felt were
4:07 sometimes better prepared. At least that was my my my um
4:12 uh perception and
4:18 kind of working within that to to to be in that community and then trying to find a community that I was
4:27 that I was familiar with. That was that was difficult. Um, and and you know, I
4:32 should mention that, you know, I'm Latino, but I'm a generational Latino from Boil
4:39 Heights. So, that's different from a more recent immigrant. And and so there
4:46 were there were other students that that were were there that were recent immigrants. And so that you know um
4:55 it's about Yeah, it was difficult because I that
5:01 that was uh you know it's not that I didn't fit in but uh it it was different.
5:06 Yeah. No, I mean anytime that you got to get uncomfortable, it's a challenge, right? It's different and and and it's
5:12 the resilience that we have. And you had so much resilience because that in itself could kind of make people want to
5:20 quit easy, right? You just feel like you don't fit in. You're trying everything. You're you're you're you're finding
5:26 trying to find your circle. Maybe you can't find that circle that you're very comfortable with. So, you do other
5:32 different things. Um do you feel that that moment in your life taught you
5:37 resilience? I think that moment in my life
5:43 um showed the resilience I brought to the table
5:48 and was maybe untested to that degree. Um and certainly helped me to
5:56 to to to develop that and grow it. Um I I almost laughed a couple of times. So,
6:02 I mean, I literally um I wrote a I wrote a piece that came out in my alumni magazine, California magazine, and um
6:11 it's called Lessons in Life, but I I lived in
6:17 this old Volkswagen that I bought for $200
6:22 and uh for about an academic year because I
6:29 um refused to go home and I didn't want to ask my dad for money. I saw how hard
6:35 it worked. They both worked and I thought, "Now I can do this." And uh at first I thought,
6:42 "Hey, it's like camping." And and it quickly became, "No, it's not." But um
6:51 I I I hope people don't have to do that. And we work with our students to make sure that we get them the resources they
6:57 need to do. But boy, that taught me a hell of a lot about myself. It does, man. And sometimes
7:05 it happens for the right reasons. Like I remember in a time kind of I want to say similar to you, but already living on my
7:11 own. I left I left home at 18 years old. Um and what a mindset of never going back, right? And really the reason I
7:18 left was because of this lifestyle that I was living. All the feelings that you know I encountered as a youth and just
7:23 wanting to explore life on my own. And um I remember at a time where time was
7:29 time was getting you know life was getting challenging and at this point I'm I'm in my early 20s. I got a
7:34 girlfriend and I remember talking to my mom and my mom saying hey you know you can move back in any time and and to her
7:41 looking at her and says you taught me how to be a man. I'm never going back. I'mma figure it out. You know and that's
7:46 just the mindset that I had was to figure it out. You know and and sometimes our life experiences even before that moment my life experience
7:52 was always figuring it out. And for the right reasons, man, because now we we can tell the story and we can there's so
7:58 many people that going to be just like us, Robert, that leave their backyard and go somewhere bigger and somewhere
8:04 where they see better. And in reality, we're all just humans. We're all just trying to figure it out, you know? Uh
8:09 and sometimes through figuring it out, you get that that flip to switch. And it's really what happened to you, man.
8:14 Tutoring kids in Oakland really flipped the uh the switch from law school to teaching. Can we talk a little bit about
8:20 that, man? This wasn't your trajectory. this is not what you were going to be doing, but here here we are.
8:27 Yeah. I I initially I initially went to um to Brooklyn. I wanted to um to write
8:34 and um and when I thought about wanting to do that, I thought, well, um I could
8:41 best put that to use. I go to law school. So, um, end of that final year,
8:46 I I I managed to get into an apartment and I came home and,
8:52 uh, was going to get a job and then was going to go was going to go back. I had gotten accepted to law school and
9:00 uh my um my my sister's old boyfriend said, "Hey,
9:06 why don't you get a job with I'm not going to name the district with this? It's a really big district in LA."
9:14 And uh and why don't you get this, you know, job there's they're doing this internship program and um and I said,
9:22 "Well, I I'm I I'm not going to be here next year." here. And he goes, "Well, but they'll just they'll pay you if you get in. They'll pay you and then you
9:28 just leave and go to school." And I thought, gosh, well, I don't know if I want to do that. Well, I w up doing it.
9:36 And then um you know, they um was taking some classes
9:43 at Cal State LA and um and I just it just interested my pig and
9:49 I thought, well, you know what? I'm going to I'm going to defer a year and and try this and make more money and go
9:55 back in. And after that first year, I just uh fell in love with it. And I haven't looked back. And uh and it was
10:02 in Boil Heights. And I still keep in touch with a lot of these
10:08 students who have like families of their own and kids that are going off to college and things like this. just um
10:13 again um but that led me down this path of you
10:19 know seeing a need kind of teaching myself grant writing
10:25 you know and um trying to find money and and develop programs where there weren't
10:31 any to provide a resource and um eventually led me to where I am now.
10:38 and and you talk about just going beyond the classroom to fill in the gaps for the kids. Do you have a story that that
10:43 resonates with you when we talk about filling the gap for those kids? Yeah. You know, when I would teach, I
10:51 would always there were I remember starting
10:59 which is common place everywhere now just like hey here's a place for you to come after school. I would take a break
11:05 and then I would come back and then I would run these tutoring sessions and provide them with a place to be and then
11:11 I got I got some donations and we'd have snacks and they would be there till about 5 or 6 until they could go home
11:17 and actually have a have a place to be. And um
11:23 and I I remember I remember thinking, you know, if I could if I could just be
11:29 outside the classroom, I could do so much more. And then I I w up getting a job, leaving Los Angeles and going to
11:36 San Francisco to be the the first director for the I Have a Dream Foundation in San Francisco. And I could
11:42 remember dealing working with these kids and developing a program for them after
11:47 school. And I kept thinking, God, you know, like, so what are you doing in the classroom? This that. And I I remember
11:53 thinking, if I could just be in the classroom, I could do so much more. And
11:58 I think it was a little bit of both. you know, you really need to know what's happening in the school and then you
12:04 need to really work to support that. Not do anything different, but just to support what they're actually doing in
12:10 the classroom, support the teachers, support the mission of and the vision of the school. And that's what we try to do
12:16 here at Learnell. I I so amazing, man. I think you're
12:24 what you've been able to do right in this lifetime and continue to do. You
12:29 just talked about the classroom and wanting to do more outside the four walls um which led you into the
12:35 nonprofit leadership. What did you what carried or what did you carry with you
12:40 from those teaching experiences? Is it is it the the working alongside these
12:47 kids and seeing that need? Is it more on the way that we were pouring into our youth? Like what was your mindset on
12:54 leaving to the nonprofit world? I think it was really about
13:00 um need and um
13:07 and working to provide something that will get them to the next level. I
13:13 I remember being down here on the east side and thinking
13:19 these are these are bright kids and
13:25 you you know you can't unsee what you've already seen. Kind of like Plato's allegory. You know the the guy leaves
13:31 the cave and he's like whoa. And he sees the world. He comes back and the society that lives in a cave, they're like, hey,
13:37 you know what? We're just not all just shadows and we don't really just look like this. There's a big world out there. everybody kind of like, "Okay,
13:43 yeah, right, buddy." And I wanted I wanted these kids to see
13:50 more than just the community they came from. Not because it was bad, because I thought I thought that they had a lot to
13:56 offer and that community taught them a lot and I wanted to challenge them to to
14:02 put that to use in another setting. And um
14:09 and I I did the same. So I encourage them to to to look outside their communities, especially the high school
14:15 students looking at schools. Hey, leave your community. I just really think, you know, stretch, grow, that's going to be
14:21 better for you. And um and that was the big thing, you know, I felt like um
14:28 that that that became a mantra, you know, for me. It was just like let's let's let's grow. Let's just get out of
14:34 your community and see come back to your community and a a different person than
14:39 when you left. and you know, not to leave it and and just leave it behind, but to leave it and come back and be a
14:45 contributor to it. So, yeah. Well, it's the space I'm in now, man. I don't even know how the heck I
14:50 got here sometimes, Robert. Um, where I become the president of my old high school's foundation, a school that I
14:56 barely graduated from, a school that, uh, I remember the counselor telling me, Ephrain,
15:02 you might as well just get a 9 to5 job. School is not for you. Right? and and here I am where I can come back and and
15:09 really pour into them. And a a child that was at one point in high school going through sexual abuse that didn't
15:16 understand adoption to the way that he understands it or at least didn't appreciate the adoption and my mom that
15:21 raised me and all these different things. And I come back really to tell the story that it doesn't matter where you're at today. That's not that doesn't
15:27 have to be your tomorrow, right? That someone may be writing your story today. Um, but at some point you take that
15:33 pencil and and you write your own story and the life is going to be lifing Robert. You're going to have experience in your life that are going to bring you
15:39 down, that are going to damn near break you. And it we have to then rebuild ourselves back to become the leader and
15:46 even better than when we we we um fell. So I I love it. I love that you were
15:53 never selfish. it you realize it was never about Robert but about the future about every single person that he's
16:00 going to share his story with and and now look what you've been able to do man you're leading this organization can we talk more about the organization like
16:06 how many how many students now are you impacting so we work at five districts um here um
16:15 uh in eastern Los Angeles county from to Whittier to Elmani to Lam Marada
16:23 And um we start with um we go from um
16:29 K12. So sometime back while we were doing the college access um there was a
16:36 law passed here in California which allowed for after school funding um to
16:42 be locked in. And so we were asked to recreate the after school portion of what we do. So now we serve after school
16:51 for um kinder through 12, but we we do
16:56 have a a focus on trying to um again really work with the district. No, none
17:02 of our programs really look the same because every district and community is different. So we try to figure out what
17:08 it is that they need. We have meetings around that and then we will serve um
17:13 several thousand youth daily. Um and then um and then work to provide them
17:21 the necessary services you know that that um these the state grants mandate.
17:27 So you know we need to provide some an enrichment piece um a um a recreational
17:35 piece we have to provide a healthy snack. So, um, even our even our
17:40 recreation piece, we just don't roll the balls out. We we develop leagues for them and we make sure that our coaches
17:46 are trained. Our number one thing is we want to make sure that the kids are having fun, that this isn't a this isn't
17:53 the training ground for the next Bill Bich, that they want to come in and just yell at kids and be win-winwin, but that
18:00 they're learning something and having fun. Yeah. I love this, man. And and what do you think now with just technology and
18:08 innovation just growing so rapidly, man, from when we were in school and to where we at now, everyone's kind of facing
18:14 this AI journey and and respectfully so I don't ever think that it it you can
18:20 take away the interaction from a a teacher to a student. That human connection is everything. And I was actually talking to another leader. like
18:26 you know teachers especially when you um hire them from the community that they
18:31 teach in they understand these students and they can speak to them at a level that AI would never be able to speak and
18:37 understand someone's background right and show the empathy but I think there's some sweet spaces you talk about
18:43 programs and creating some of these programs and even probably incorporating AI into a program where someone can
18:48 learn that where are you guys on AI is that something that you guys uh are excited about that's probably going to
18:54 help you maybe on the back end so much more than the front end, you know. Um,
19:00 wow. That's a real that's a that's a that's a big question with many facets
19:06 to it. Um, uh,
19:14 using AI to help us do what we do is a good thing. Mhm.
19:20 I I also think that um it it it enables
19:28 and and can also stifle some creativity. So if we're asking somebody to think about a program or think about what's
19:33 needed, yeah, they can use AI. What we have found sometimes is
19:40 um even with lesson planning, I know this because I've been in the classroom, I
19:46 know teachers are like, "Just give me a lesson plan." And I'm thinking, well, what do your kids need? You know, that's
19:52 your first question to just pull something off the shelf. There are some great teachers that will
19:58 put that extra effort in and you have to critically think about that. If you're just going to pop it
20:03 into AI and pop something out, I really believe something's lost.
20:08 Yeah. Yeah. Um, and so, um, I think it enables some of that
20:16 and I think it's making its way down even for our students. Um, we have a
20:22 scholarship program where there's there have been some kids that we have some we've had some excellent recipients and
20:29 we've interviewed them and and so they really speak to what they've written and and can, you know, can really jump off
20:36 that platform and tell you more. There are others that you can tell
20:42 didn't write and it it's just it's it's um they're truncated sentences, this,
20:48 that, and the other. Um, I don't doubt that they need the money, but but you
20:54 got to think about what it is you need. And so, um, so that's just moving down.
21:01 It's just filtering down. I have a big concern as to what will happen, you know. Um the
21:09 biggest thing that I think that we take away from education is that our biggest role as educators is we above anything
21:18 else we should be striving to create critical thinkers and and when we fail to do that
21:27 um we're no longer educating. AI can help.
21:36 I'm just not sure how you manage it in a way because there will always be
21:41 individuals that um that we're human, right? What's your
21:46 code? What's the easier way I can do this? If the Heart and Hustle podcast has ever sparked any idea or made you think
21:53 differently, do us a favor. Make sure to guys share this, post it on LinkedIn, or even text that nonprofit friend that you
22:01 just have. Whatever works. This is what keeps the conversation going and allows us to just grow this community together.
22:08 Seriously, we appreciate you. Yeah. I um I was talking to some some uh
22:13 it was actually early early childhood um organization and we just talked about
22:19 one just we don't have enough teachers that have that passion and feel this is a purpose. Still some that think it's a
22:26 job and it's not, right? And even just calling them just teachers, these are educators. These are uh these are people
22:31 that are really making impacts. I mean, you spend eight nine hours a day sometimes with these teachers. Like there's so much more than just a
22:38 teacher. And I I do believe that when people get caught up on just finding the easy way out, they're going to lose the
22:44 love for what it is. But I also think that if they do it right, you can do more of the things you love and and less
22:49 of the things you don't love. Right? When we go to school to become teachers, that's what we want to do. We want to be
22:55 able to teach. We want to be able to get in front of our kids and and I I think yes, you will see that some people will
23:01 start to take shortcuts. And I think you'll start to see those teachers that really love what they do continue to do what it is that they do. But now we have
23:07 to find that balance. And uh it's funny that you say you can always tell cuz I can always tell when someone uses AI as
23:12 well, just the way that it comes across or the hyphens that are always used in chat GPT. Um but no man, I I'm I'm I'm excited to
23:20 see where AI uh continues to play a role when it comes to our schools. schools. I
23:25 know I right now in Florida, I am in one of the biggest districts I believe in
23:31 the state of Florida and they do not allow chat GPT in their schools. So, one
23:36 time I went to the teachers and we had to do some work. I'm like, "You guys are not using chat GPT to make this easier, more efficient." They was like, "We
23:42 blocked that from our schools." Um, which I don't know if it's a good or a bad thing. The kids are still going to use it, right? So, it's like teaching
23:49 them how to use it to actually benefit them, I think, is what we should be doing is educating them in that space
23:55 because they're still going to use it. The same way we were told to never use a calculator because it's never going to be in our pockets. We've always used
24:00 calculators, now we have computers in our pockets. So, it's like it's here, it's not going anywhere. How do we
24:06 evolve with the time and make sure that we don't um use it in the incorrect way? Cuz like anything could be done.
24:12 Yeah. Social media, the website for great reasons, we use it. Some people use it for the wrong reasons. Yeah. But um
24:18 yeah, man. Go ahead. You were gonna say something, Robert? No, I I agree. I I I think
24:26 you know, when you look at colleges now, I mean, um
24:31 I think it's killing writing. Uh I was listening to a podcast, can't remember which one it was, but they were
24:38 interviewing um students that one had graduated from Harvard, another at MIT. for the most
24:44 part they didn't write a paper. Um, now I
24:50 don't I don't doubt that they couldn't write and here here's here's my thought
24:55 on that and because we've had this discussion uh we have an AI committee here and I
25:03 gave my impassioned um little two cents on what I you know what I think about
25:10 that. Um, but we're we're getting back our own staff kind of, you know, handing
25:15 in things. That's that's subpar. What I said was everyone around this
25:21 table, I don't doubt that. I don't doubt your writing. I've
25:26 seen it and I think you're all capable writers. So, I I don't have a problem
25:32 with you using AI to improve already good writing. The problem comes when we
25:40 already see people who we know whose writing could be better and
25:48 they're no longer thinking about how to write a good piece. They're just punching in the best prompts and seeing
25:57 I mean how do you check for it? How do you know you know and oh it looks good to me better than anything I've ever
26:03 written so I'm going to submit it. And I think kids may be doing that too. And so what we lose is um that critical piece.
26:12 So I think as you go down the as you go down the the line it becomes more and
26:19 more important that you have those basic skills. Like I don't think anyone would say that
26:26 you shouldn't learn your times tables even though we have a calculator. Um
26:31 um well when you think about critical thinking right that's what your piece that you're mentioning you definitely have to have some critical thinking even
26:38 when it comes to prompting a chat GPT. So yeah 100% important because if you can't even think beyond you know surface
26:45 level you're never really going to get good results out of a chat GBT because it's only as good as what you put in. So
26:51 if you're not thinking and getting creative as you kind of mentioned you're um you know talking to Yeah. 100% do
26:56 agree that that it's going to hinder people from reaching heights that
27:01 they've wanted to because they're holding themselves back. They're not trying to think on their own. So, I do agree, man. I use chatt and it has to be
27:08 critical thinking cuz I use it and I see how other people use it and it's very surface level compared to what I use it.
27:13 Why? Because I I I'm thinking outside the box because I'm a just creative in general. So, I see things a little different versus someone that is just
27:19 thinking, "Oh, this is going to make me more creative or this is going to make me more um faster at what I do, but is
27:25 really helping you on the critical thinking when you put on the spot because Chad TPT is not going to be there all the time. What happens when you get put on the spot and you really
27:32 got to think, right?" Right. So, no, I do hear I hear you stand on that. You Robert, Latina to
27:38 Latino, man, like it's it's cool to see you in this space. Not a lot of leaders
27:44 one and the and I just actually spoke to one earlier today which is very surprising um and he's in the early
27:49 childhood but not a lot of males in general are in this space when it comes to
27:54 education but I think are needed I think uh from male to male we need to see more
27:59 guys in classrooms more guys that are in the leadership roles when it comes to education how important to you to to
28:06 have representation in education and in the nonprofit spaces you know the the the representation is I
28:14 mean it's important to have our young men um be role models for what's possible,
28:23 you know, to to to to know that to show that
28:30 I like to learn or that that um you
28:35 don't just have to be there all the time pumping your fist in the air, but that you can actually have a
28:42 a sensitive conversation about something. If somebody comes to you, especially another young young boy,
28:49 about something and just listen to them without telling them what to do and just
28:54 being there for them. And we're sorely needed in this space. You know, my whole
29:00 focus has been equity and education and a lot of my work has been on trying to provide resources for for young women.
29:07 And now that young women are on the upswing, the answer isn't to stop what we're
29:14 doing. It's it's not a zero- sum game. It's like we can't chew gum and walk at
29:20 the same time. It's like we need to do this for all our kids. And young boys have different needs than young girls.
29:27 Um, and what what is it that we can do to sustain this level for our girls to
29:32 be strong women, to go out there to be wage earners and and and and and
29:38 captains of industry and and then have our boys do the same or even to to to say that it's okay that
29:48 um you want to be an artist, that you're not either to conquer the world as a capitalist or something. Not nothing
29:55 against business majors. I'm just saying that, you know, that it's okay to do
30:00 things that may not be seen as traditional uh for boys. Um
30:07 yeah, and support that. So, having these conversations with my kids now, I have a one-year-old and a four-year-old, and my daughter loves to
30:13 say, "I want to do this cuz boys can't do it." Or, "I've never seen a girl do this." Right? When she starts to see a
30:19 girl in a space that she's never seen a girl. And we easily say, "Boys and girls can do whatever they want." you know,
30:25 one day you want to do ballerina so bad, one day you see a boy doing ballerina, but we don't judge him. That's what he wants to do. Uh, and we we do have to be
30:33 in in a space where we allow people to be themselves more than anything, right? So, we live in a we live in a society,
30:39 especially with social media, where someone wants to be the next person they see, but it's like, how do you tap into what you love, to the things that bring
30:46 you peace, the things that are really purposeful? You know, I know you said no shade on those business majors. That was
30:52 me. I am the business major, right? But to me,
30:57 to me, man, um, I only took up business to be quite frank. Like, I took up
31:02 business because I was already running a store at 19, 20 years old. But hands-on experience to me taught me
31:10 way more than I actually learned when I went to school to be quite frank. But what I've also learned in the business side and just having a business mindset,
31:17 I now am in the nonprofit and realizing that even a nonprofit is a business. While some may think that, you know,
31:23 nonprofit means no money and whatever their theirs are, it is not true. You know, we we just serve two different
31:30 boards. We, you know, the ways that we spend our monies are is a little different. But I think that having that
31:36 business mindset is what allows people to also be great leaders in the nonprofit space because I think when I
31:42 see people that you you have a business mindset, right? Because you've been in business and you've seen how to how to
31:49 scale. You have this business mindset. Not that you were a major in it, but you still understood that you had to have a
31:55 business mind to do what you do in the nonprofit world and to make the impact
32:00 that you're making, building relationships and and all these different things that I think come from the the uh the business world, man. Um,
32:07 and just to see leaders again, like I mentioned, like yourself, a Latino, it's cool. I don't How many Latinos do
32:15 you see in the leadership role, Robert? Can you name at least two off the top of your head? Maybe you can. Maybe I can.
32:22 Well, I'm in California, so probably a little easier than if I were Yeah, I was about to say it is a little easier. No, man. It it it is cool, but
32:28 even in the education role, I think it's so needed, man. I wish I would have had, you know, going through school, I didn't
32:33 have male figures um in my high schools that were having men, you know, man-to-man conversations with me. Um
32:40 especially in this, I didn't have a dad. I didn't have a male figure at my in my home. So, how good would it have been to
32:46 have someone that just maleto-male understands the way that we think, the way that we operate, right? Um, I didn't
32:52 have that, which is why I show up to be really what I wish I had. And I'm pretty sure that's why. But you also go back
32:59 into your community to be what you wish you had as you grew up in the communities. And you're doing an amazing
33:04 job, man. I mean, working with the undeserved um, you know, communities as well. What's your personal vision for
33:10 resilience and education access in the next decade? because I can imagine that you have a whole agenda that you're
33:15 trying to put together. I I think I think the biggest thing that we need to do is is is to be able to
33:21 provide is to really provide resources, you know, um it's not about
33:30 it's not about an equality issue when it comes down to resources. You can give me the the same amount of things that you
33:36 might give somebody in Pacific Palisades on the west side,
33:44 but that's not going to cut it because they have they're probably ahead of the
33:49 game in terms of their experiences, their resources, things that, you know, that they've had. Our our communities
33:56 need more just to get up to the starting line. and and so it's it's it's really
34:02 just trying to to be more equitable in terms of the resources that are that are given um to the communities that we
34:09 serve. Number one and number two um you know that includes that's up and down
34:15 the line, you know, paying teachers what they deserve and and and and then providing them with the things that they
34:22 need to do the things they need to do to get these kids from point A to point B. And and then the second thing is is to
34:28 be able to um to to provide um
34:35 a model where we can actually train more individuals. And we do need more male
34:42 teachers. And um
34:49 I I would argue, you know,
34:57 more male teachers at the entry level positions. Yeah. You know, and and would would really be
35:04 where we need them the most. Um I agree. If you look at if you look at
35:09 um there's some data that shows that um for the number of men in education,
35:16 there are a lot more that kind of make their way to the top and are running districts. And and it that almost that
35:23 almost kind of like fits the paternal model of like, oh well, okay, the doors
35:29 are open for the guys. You know, what we really need is to have men in front of these kids and and um and and I'm not
35:38 saying that we shouldn't have male superintendent or principles. We absolutely do. But that we need more of
35:44 them in the classroom in front of these kids um teaching them good things as
35:50 well as with books. I agree. And as we start wrapping this up, because we could do this forever and
35:55 just talk about this, but I appreciate your time and I want to respect your time. Before we get to the blind question, man, if you could leave every
36:01 listener with one lesson about turning pain into purpose with pretty much what you've done your whole life, what would it be?
36:08 You know, I think I think um
36:18 I I was thinking about something you had said earlier and
36:23 everything I I wound up doing was everything I I kind of gravitated to which I I guess is what I loved, what I
36:32 realized I loved. like I think I would have been miserable as a lawyer
36:38 and uh I'm just saying I don't know maybe not but uh to trade in the
36:44 experiences I've had. So I think I think you you got to you got to stay true to
36:49 what your love is and and that love kind of insulates you from the hardships that
36:55 you're going to feel along the way cuz that's just life, right? But um as long as you have that love and you have
37:02 people around you to kind of support you in that that's going to really help. Robert, I always say that um especially
37:09 in your line of work, lawyer would have been a great paycheck, but you chose purpose and passion. And if when we
37:15 start to really think about that, we can have all the money in the world, man, but if your cup's not filled, if you're
37:20 not happy, does it really matter? You know, and I think you're in a space where maybe the paycheck is not the
37:26 best, but when you get to see kids that never had an opportunity or a chance get
37:33 that chance because of what you guys are doing at your organization, like that is so much more than a the value of a
37:40 dollar, right? Because they take that for life. I'm a big believer that even
37:46 like now um you know I'm in the I'm in the the nonprofit space with my old high with my old high school and we hand out
37:52 these scholarships and I think that's great but a $1,500 scholarship will will
37:58 go just like this. But when you can make an impact a a conversation having a
38:03 leader that represents them you know or their their their upbringing that impact
38:09 is made forever. I remember conversations with some of my educators and I'm 35 years old, you know, and so
38:16 that means high school for me was 20 plus years ago almost. So sitting here
38:21 and thinking about that, man, you chose what was right for you, what what what was really filling your cup. Um maybe I
38:28 think yeah, you were amazingly lawyer, right? You would have been an amazing lawyer. However, God had a
38:34 different plan for you as well. So many times we have a plan and then God comes in and says, "Wait a minute. Let me let me show you this plan. this is the plan
38:40 that I really have for you. So, I'm actually glad that you stuck with this plan and and here you are today. And I ask you for that blind question, man.
38:46 You spent your life teaching resilience as we've gone through this whole conversation. What's that one lesson your students taught you though that
38:52 you've never expected? Because as much as we give and give and give, we're also learning from these younger kids that
38:59 are, you know, coming through the pipeline. Yeah. I think the biggest thing is humility. Um
39:07 Yeah. Um I I had I had lunch with they they
39:12 organized this lunch. It goes, "Hey, you know, there was about a dozen of the former students from the
39:20 class of 87." And um
39:29 yeah, the things they shared. You say you remember things about we we
39:34 do that with our staff, you know, when we train new people. Think about one person that may have they may never
39:40 know. And I sat around that table. We're we're all having adult beverages and and
39:46 they would bring things up and I and I thought
39:53 just I would think like, "Oh my god, I really I I didn't know that that oh
39:58 yeah, that made a big big impact on me." I thought, "Wow." And it the humility
40:05 part comes like you really need to be mindful about what we tell our kids because
40:13 uh I was talking to a a friend of mine who was a principal at a high school. He goes, "What I dread one day is having a
40:19 kid come in." He goes, "You're the worst teacher for whatever reason." And you know, he goes, "And I would never have known
40:25 because it was never intentional, but maybe and I I would imagine maybe just
40:31 people felt like either you didn't pay enough attention or this that or the other." So
40:37 humility. It's funny you say that because it actually on the opposite end, I was the
40:42 troublemaker at school. I was the the class clown. I was the knucklehead. And
40:48 um I seen a teacher 10 plus years after. And when I he was my teacher, it was his
40:54 first year ever teaching. And me and my best friend to this day, we life was laughing for us, man. And so we went to
41:00 school and we acted out. And you know, we you put us in classrooms together. You had to put us in two sides of the
41:05 room because that's how bad it used to get. Even though we were best friends, that's just who we were. And I seen him
41:10 and he's like, "Ephra, I'm like Mr. Chambers." And he's like, "You're the guy that made me quit teaching." I said,
41:17 "What?" Like just imagine. He says, "Bro, you were so bad." And realizing he
41:23 was 20ome years old. I didn't, you know, when 16 and you see this guy, he just graduated college. Now he's a lawyer, so
41:30 he kind of diverse view. He realized that school wasn't for him. He decided to be a lawyer. I don't know. Kudos to
41:35 you to sticking it out. But it is, you just don't know how someone sees things.
41:40 And I had no ill intention. That was never my intention, right, to make him quit. Life was lifing. But if I also believe
41:46 that if he understood how to work with those type of kids, right, he didn't come from this community, so he didn't
41:52 have an understanding. But if he was also educated enough to understand, hey, this let's not just automatically
42:00 picture them as a troublemaker. Let's figure out what's actually the the root of all cause, right? It could be this
42:05 person didn't eat yesterday. It could be in my case, I was being sexually abused at home. There were so many factors of
42:11 why I was almost kind of screaming for help. People made it seem like if I was just this person that didn't care and I
42:18 did, you know, I definitely did care. And I love what you say in this in the sense of yeah, being very mindful of
42:24 what we say to our kids as well because I have I just I just met up a friend. I haven't seen him in 10 plus years and he
42:30 says he for now remember when you hired me and what you told me the day that you hired me, Robert, that was 15 years ago.
42:37 you know, people, you can either take someone up or you can bring somebody
42:42 down by the words that we share. And we got to make sure that we're always leveling someone up and being very
42:48 mindful of the words that we use. Even one thing I noticed, Robert, even with you just talking today, you're very mindful of your words. Like, you don't
42:55 just say whatever. You'll sit here and you'll think and then you'll say. And a lot of people don't do that. We just
43:00 speak. We're never really thinking about the person that we're talking to and what they need at that moment. and you
43:07 for sure I've seen that through this whole conversation that you thought on what it was that you wanted to say
43:13 for the right reasons. So I appreciate that from you as well. I appreciate that that statement and even with that I will manage to step on
43:20 some flowers here and there. So, not on purpose. And by the way, I didn't mean to throw shade on lawyers at all. But,
43:28 hey, man, you know, there's also some good lawyers that I've seen that have left being a lawyer to become um to be
43:34 in the nonprofit space, and they always say, "I wish I would have done this sooner." I I I went to grad school uh in
43:40 education with a guy who was a lawyer and then became a teacher and then he became
43:46 a principal and now he he teaches at um I think I saw him on the website at USC
43:52 School of Ed. Wow. So yeah, man. See, look at you chose a great career path.
43:58 Yeah. Well, Robert, where can people find more of the organization? U what's the website? I think learnla.org you
44:04 mentioned earlier. Are you guys social medias? Yeah, learn.org and um and uh
44:11 you can uh click that on and it gives us uh gives you an overview of everything we do and and who we serve and and some
44:19 of an idea, you know, a smattering of what our programming is about and uh you can leave a comment in there and um
44:27 uh yeah or if you're in California area, you can you can come and volunteer or Yeah.
44:34 Well, Robert, thank you so much for your time and for you guys are still watching. Make sure that you guys continue to share, comment, and like.
44:39 And allow people to get into this conversation, the conversation that we need to have more of when we think about our educators and our our future because
44:46 it's not about us as adults. We want to make sure that the next generation is fed with positivity, with love, um that
44:52 we show them resilience, that we we share with them confidence, all these different things that we lacked when we
44:58 were young. We want to make sure that our kids don't lack these things. and and Robert's making sure the same thing,
45:03 you know, and and has been doing the same thing for 20 plus years. So, we thank Robert for being the individual and the leader that he is. Guys, if you
45:10 haven't subscribed, make sure you guys do so. I'm Ephrain. This is Robert. Catch you on the next one. Lers.

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