Inspire Youth. Inspire Learning. Inspire Change.
In and out-of-school time leaders take unique pathways on their experiential journeys, and these journeys are worth spotlighting! Turning to our field specialists, TEAMBOOST is proud to feature their stories centered in Career Inspiration and Insights. Our first feature is BOOST Ambassador, Nathan #iAmImpact Houston (He/Him/His).
Thank you, Nathan, for sharing your story with the BOOST community! We appreciate you!
Career Insights and Inspiration with Nathan #iAmImpact Houston (He/Him/His)
Nathan is a proud BOOST Ambassador and the Founder/CEO of #iAmImpact in Sacramento, CA.
How did you get into the out-of-school time, expanded learning, or educational field?
I started in the expanded learning field as a participant. Then, one day, I asked my mentor if he got paid to help us with our homework and take us on field trips. When he said yes I knew immediately what I wanted to do. I wanted to get paid to have fun and serve young people.
A day in the life – what does your day-to-day schedule look like?
Each day starts off with me getting my beautiful daughters ready for school, which I am doing right now while I work on these prompts. After dropping them off, I have to hit the gym to get my morning walk/job on. My new obsession after working out is hitting the steam room, followed by the sauna. It has changed my life! From the gym, it is off to the home office for work. The day could consist of a couple of Zoom calls or a full day of traveling to do in-person trainings, which are my favorite. After work is filled with Kinder pick-up, and then picking up my 5th grader, Nalah, who is now a basketball player. Where does time go?
What time of your program year do you look forward to the most?
The program time of the year I look forward to most is the beginning. The kick-offs for me are the highlights! Being entrusted to equip, challenge, and inspire leaders to become the best version of themselves is exciting and a huge honor. I really look forward to those moments, especially when I get to return to a place or organization that has had me before.
How has support and/or leadership from others helped you get to where you are now in your career?
Leadership and support has been crucial to help me arrive where I am today. One of my first mentors in the afterschool space challenged me to go from mediocrity to extraordinary by asking me two simple question: “Are you just average?” “Then why are behaving like you are average?” These questions challenged my 15 year old ego and continue to challenge me each day.
I have to give a couple “shout outs” to Anissa Sonnenburg who first told me about the BOOST Conference. I have to shout out Jeff Davis at California Afterschool Network for allowing me be one of the first Keynote Speakers at the Inaugural Site Coordinator Symposium, definitely BOOST (Tia Quinn and Deanna Underwood, along with the whole leadership team), my previous organization CFF for the preparation, and all the organizations who who believed in me enough to pour into their teams. Supportive relationships are the key to my success.
Tell us about a goal you have for this school year. How will you know that you have accomplished it?
I have a goal of creating two more UNLEASH YOUR IMPACT cohorts within organizations. These cohorts are designed to help people become Impactful Presenters. I will know I accomplished it when the two organizations say yes to these amazing opportunities.
What motivates you to do this work?
God. I believe I was put here to support, serve, and inspire others with my talents and skillsets. My two beautiful daughters are also motivation to do this work. I know it takes a village to raise our youth, because I was a part of a village that helped raise me.
What is one of the highlights of your career? Why?
One of my career highlights is starting #IAmImpact. It is more than just an organization. It is me defying the odds. #iAmImpact represents people being able to overcome their circumstances. Based on statistics and my background, I wasn’t supposed to make it this far. Having a business that plants seeds of hope, wholeness, authenticity, and love in the lives of people across California is a dream come true.
What’s the biggest mistake you made on the job and what did you learn from it?
My biggest mistake I ever made was lowering my standards to fit in. I learned I will do more damage to myself and others by lowering my standards. I learned from lowering my standards that I wasn’t made to fit in, and that’s why I stand out. It’s ok to be different and it’s ok to strive for better. It’s ok to go for greatness.
What is the biggest challenge facing your program today?
The biggest challenge I am facing in my program is growing my team. I want to make sure I have the right people a part of #iAmImpact.
Can you name a person who has had a tremendous impact on you as a leader? Maybe someone who has been a mentor to you? How did this person impact your life?
A person who has had a tremendous impact on me as a leader is Mark Meeks. Mark Meeks is my Pastor and also my mentor. Mark is a man who demonstrates daily what commitment, service, and love looks like lived out. One of his quotes that I try to live by is “You can’t lead where you don’t go.” This means if you want people to follow you, you have to be willing to lead by example and go the distance. Mark’s heart for people is one I aspire to have.
Today for breakfast I had…
An air “sammich” lol