"I AM ORLANDO CEASAR..."

"Good evening? How are you all doing today," (in the voice of a 7 year old)? "I AM ORLANDO CEASAR!" (in the voice that could be compared to the roar of a lion. This week the Cabrini Connections' program was honored to have Motivational Speaker, Orlando Ceasar, come in to share a little of his history and his life story, but a lot of how the students, volunteers, and staff can reach their many goals in life.

Orlando Ceasar was born and raised on the West Side of Chicago and said that his mother was on the "11 by 30 plan" saying that his mother and father had 11 children by the age of 30. Mr. Ceasar did an amazing job of talking about his youth and the ways in which he used his mind, the values he learned, poetry, and determination to assist him with becoming a very successful man.

One of the activities that he used during his presentation was a decision making tool that ANYBODY can use by using the word KNOW. He asked the group to come up with words that can be produced by using the 4 letters of the word KNOW. A few of the many were the words: won, ok, on, ko, now, ow and several others. Then students shouted out some of the decisions that they will have to make in life. Some students said, picking a college, picking a career, who to date, where will they live when they get older etc... Mr. Ceasar took the words from the word KNOW and explained how these words can be used for all of the Cabrini Connections youth and anybody else that have a decision to make.

He asked how much do you KNOW about the decision you have to make? What are the pros and cons of your decision. Who do you know that is in the career you want to be in, at the college that you want to attend, or how much do you know about the girl or guy that you like. Then asked what does it look like when you WON? He encouraged the group to envision success! He told the students they have to be ON at all times, and said that "when you are ON at all times there will be people there for you, doors will be open, and good things will happen because you are ON." He asked the group what are you doing NOW to reach the goals that you have in life, "You can't say you want to be a doctor in the future, if you are not willing to take the proper steps now to reach that goal." Another word he used was the word NO. He told the group that at some point in your life you are going to have to tell your friends, your family, and even yourself NO in order to reach your goals. Lastly he told the students that life can K.O. you if you are not prepared, so make sure to take advantage of resources and prepare for life.

The entire Cabrini Connections' program would like to thank Mr. Orlando Ceasar for taking out time out of his busy week, driving a couple of hours in traffic and bad weather, and volunteering his time to share some knowledge, insight, and helpful tips so that not just the students of the program but for the entire audience can be successful in life!