 Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, and welcome to Mentor Talks. My name is Asha Bay and I'm joining you from Washington DC and the Office of Alumni Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. Mentor Talks is a virtual series brought to you by the State Department for exchange program alumni and anyone interested in improving themselves and their communities. Every month we bring you mentors who share their stories and offer career tips and advice. This month is a two-for-one in honor of International Education Week and Global Entrepreneurship Week. Just last week we spoke to two full-brother alumni about their international exchange experiences and their current work in the fields of digital journalism and financial literacy. And today we welcome Bianca Alvaredo, an online pioneer, educator, and entrepreneur. Bianca is going to talk about her Gilman scholarship and her experiences as an exchange alumna and how it has all shaped her career. Before we get into conversation with our guests, we have to hear from you, our online viewers. You can post your questions and comments for Bianca directly on our Facebook page. Now let's meet our newest mentor. Originally from both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, Bianca Alvaredo has used her exchange experiences to inform her career and her puny development projects. She is the founder of Baja Urban, a publishing company that creates multicultural and socially conscious books and media. Bianca is also the founder of Casa Azul, a program designed to train Hispanic youth in digital media and technology in the border town of Chula Vista, California. The program was started through a grant from the U.S. Department of State and it has since expanded. On top of all this, Bianca continues to teach Spanish in San Diego, California. Bianca, welcome and thank you for joining us. Just a quick reminder to our viewers that this time is for you. Post your comments and questions in the chat space now for Bianca. Bianca, I want to start off with a few questions about your exchange experiences. What was your Gilman scholarship like and how did it impact your current path and the many different businesses you're involved in? Ayash, thank you for having me. I'm super happy to be here and to connect with the whole alumni community but also other interested individuals. I want to learn more about exchange opportunities for all. So I went to Uruguay in 2011. I received a Gilman scholarship and that was the first time that I was going to travel to a foreign country that wasn't my parents or my home country. And at first it was a whole experience because my parents actually wanted me to study somewhere close like here in Mexico or Tijuana. They didn't want me to leave far, far away. So starting to break out barriers even within my family or within the Hispanic culture was an interesting experience of being able to travel across the continent to the other side of the continent, which is Uruguay located next to Argentina. And I received the Gilman scholarship. I spent the whole Christmas before getting the Gilman scholarship, applying for that scholarship. And I didn't know all the opportunities and everything that was going to come from that experience and from being an alumni of that scholarship. And yeah, I think one of the things that taught me the most that I've been able to implement through the different projects or businesses that I have started was that being able to reach out and go beyond my comfort zone because I could have easily just done a program here close to the border region in Mexico or somewhere close where I knew that I could reach my family anytime that I needed to, but I expanded my limits and I went all the way to South America to Uruguay. And I think that also opened my mind in being able to reach and collaborate with people and not be afraid to collaborate with other people and using the language skills in Spanish that I possess in order to collaborate and work with people from different parts of the world. I started with Baja Urban, which is one of the early businesses that I started back in 2016. We started working with artisans from Mexico and creating handmade products and today we're creating more online tools, online resources for bilingual youth or anybody that wants to learn Spanish and English, and we're currently in the process of creating those bilingual books. And for Casa Suu Productions, like you mentioned, it has been also a growing project and it has changed through different phases and processes, but today I'm collaborating with different team members from Argentina and in Mexico to make the projects possible. So yeah, that has been the reach of the Gilman Scholarship. That's great. And I wanted to go back to a little bit about what you said about Traventario Uruguay. So was that scary, just going that far away from your family? Yeah, so I think like being able to have the school, my school campus and of course a Gilman Scholarship, so being able to do a study abroad experience where I wasn't the only one who was applying for the program. I was actually going through different offices and the study abroad office at school. It reduced all those risk factors for me, so they helped me a lot with finding a place to stay, identifying the university that I was going to go. So I think having that infrastructure that I didn't know anything about before leaving, what's already set out for me to be able to thrive in my Gilman or study abroad experience. So it's definitely, I think that being able to have access to that infrastructure that I was built around this experience was super helpful. Great. So we'll get back to the more about the Gilman later, but I also wanted to ask you about the two exchange alumni events that you participated in last year. The entrepreneurial focused alumni thematic international exchange seminar in Kansas City, Missouri, and the career connections professional development seminar for US alumni in Los Angeles, where I also saw you. Can you tell us more about what you took away from your experiences, including how the entrepreneurial project that you won has impacted your work. Yes, so I think that's one of the biggest surprises that I learned as being an alumni from the US State Department Scholarship that they offer for students for it was not only students but different ranges of students to study abroad and experience programs abroad was that the ability of being invited to, to, to be part of the alumni ties seminar. So when I received the invitation I received the invitation through through email. I didn't even know that this existed. I didn't know that there was like this thing such as the seminar that they did annually, I think or twice a year. So when I received the application and then I submitted all my recommendation letters and everything that was the whole process of applying. At the start I knew that there was going to be something different about this experience because even the guiding questions. Before applying to the program in a help me kind of start reflecting of this whole experience that I was going to go into. The questions that are asked through the essays kind of are a moment to reflect and help you grow even if you don't get into the program and just write out your answers to reflect on the, on the statement of purpose that you're writing it helps you personally kind of like go and have a clear mindset behind your goals and what programs that you're applying to. But yeah when I went to the alumni ties I found out about a grant that we could apply. And with two team members Freddie and Joe, we applied for this grant, and I kind of based on my background of working with, with youth and my brother also working with technology. Like some ideas behind what we wanted to explore, but it was here where we started putting a project together and then pitching the project so that we could apply for funding to pilot this project and just what came afterwards. In 2019 the whole experience of actually being able to implement this project and seeing the needs before, before everything before COVID hit and before everything that started affecting learning, learning, we kind of like experience that the needs that were out there in the community, or we realize that the needs that were not being met out there in the community. And that's why we decided to take the program online so for example when we're trying to implement the program in the public libraries we saw that there was a lot of issues with the computers. Some libraries didn't have computer centers is sometimes so different different technical and different like really needs based on the communities that were not being met. When we're trying to implement the project in a physical environment. That's when we decided to take this program online. And that's how we were able to to start learning about online tools and how we could help youth access this this content with online learning before before we started going through the transition of COVID and in the limited resources that we had to gather. And for career connections, my whole experience. I think something beautiful that I experienced was able to to connect with with other alumni students to and now serving as the mentor and now seeing others that like did their study abroad more recently and how I could share my my experience with them as a professional. That's great. So yeah, I just I did want to make a note about ties that we do do three to four seminars per year one is always in the US. And then we typically do some overseas. And for international alumni they should get in touch with their embassy, so they can get invited to the, the seminar us alumni need to apply, just like you did. So now we have limited times let's get to some questions from our viewers. The first one is a little bit of a long one so bear with me. Casa Azul was created through a grant you received after you participated in an alumni ties conference, and it was targeted toward teenagers in Chula Vista, but also used by adults as a platform to move their businesses online. And this is you've noticed in adult versus teenage students, and should educators keep different student types in mind when creating material that will be accessed online. Yeah, that's a good question I think that's something that was really interesting for us was that we created the courses for you. Our target community in mind and when we started seeing that adults were accessing the content to and that they didn't mind seeing videos or reading content that was designed for you. Everything that we created was like more colorful and digitally visually appealing for you so it's more like videos that are more using a lot of effects that appeal more to you. And when we started seeing that adults were accessing this information we realized that there's a need also for adults to access this information and we had Hispanic woman, Hispanic man, and other adults too, who were accessing the courses and when they were completing the survey, they were telling us about their age and mostly were like adults who were running their business or they were starting to create their own business or they wanted a website to sell their products or for their business. But for me, that was really interesting that they didn't really mind going through content that was specifically for you, because they wanted to access that information, the knowledge based information but yes I think there's definitely, there needs to be a separation between content that is created for youth and content that is created for adults is really important to keep their needs in mind. Interesting. So, it's interesting though that they were more focused on starting their own businesses and that's why and that actually leads into our next question. What advice would you give to an audience member who is thinking of starting their own business? Yeah, I think one of the things that I have learned the most throughout the last few years that I have started testing with different ideas and different projects is being able to recognize and understand what's the market value. Because most of the time we leave that at the end because we're so in love with our idea, or we're so in love with just the mentality that comes around the creating a business or a product or services that we forget about that market value. And if there's no really no market value for what you're offering for that product or service, then multiple things can happen. One is that you can, and this are some of the things that happen to me, you can sell your service or product to a target demographic that does have enough resources to pay for your services. You might be selling your services and products for a lower price than what you deserve. Something else is that those the market might not be open to paying for that that you're offering. So, in order for you to be able to sell a product or service that actually has value within the market, there has to be a value on it. You know, like right now there's a lot of value with helping people connect online, communicate online, bring people together online, or the health industry also basic necessities. So that's where the market value is, and is very sometimes it can be very challenging for entrepreneurs to leave that out, which is, we basically don't have a business if there's no market value to it. Exactly. I think we've heard this from some of our other mentors have joined us is that find, find your niche in the market, and what people want, and then go from there. Oh, it's I also wanted to give a shout out to our online viewers. We have several watching online from all over the world, including several Gilman alumni. Thanks for tuning in. So Bianca what is being a social entrepreneur mean to you, has helping your community always been important to you. I actually I really like that question because it brings me back to my parents who have been an essential part of forming the person that I am. But ever since we were little they like invested or infusing me this idea of, of helping the other right in here it was like physically the neighbor because we would live in the US and then we would take food or we would take different items to help people in the one hour across the border. So they just infuse to me from early on, the idea of helping the other or taking resources when we don't see that there's enough resources somewhere. So that naturally comes from, especially from my parents know that taught me that. But yeah he has been an essential component of who I am of reaching out to two communities and now creating social enterprises. For the first five years of my professional experience I spend that time working with nonprofits, volunteering and doing a lot of community outreach, and I never realized that all that community outreach experience was teaching me a lot about communication and marketing. It's an interesting, an interesting face for me to realize that without really realizing when I was doing community outreach or community service. I was learning about PR I was learning about communications I was learning about marketing to because when you reach out to a community you have to make it appealing for them to, to be able to engage with those community projects too. So it was differently, definitely an interesting transition for me to transfer those skills that I have been using in the nonprofit world and and transfer them to that to the social business aspect. So yeah so the volunteer work you were doing for the nonprofits was that like on the side as you were also teaching. Yeah, so that's a good question to because I have always had like different, different roles in my life and and sometimes I'm like the same Bianca but I'm like three different other roles in the same day sometimes. I guess when I was doing back into 2014. I was doing a project called trash to paradise and that was through a incubator here in San Diego. We were testing with low tech water systems to to have a affordable water system solutions for communities and we were piloting this program in Pijuana. So when I was doing that I was being I was working as a full time teacher so I would do this project on the weekends on the evenings. So yeah, I'm multiple, most of the time somewhere in multiple hats. And yes that's kind of like how my professional life has been for the last years. Most of the time some leading probably like three different roles. Yeah, yeah, I think that leads me into you the email signature that you have it reads don't think too much shake it up go do something new. And that sounds like is that your like model for life and can you tell us more about that. Yes, I want to show you this. So if someone has that phrase says shake it up. Go do something new. And if we if I shake it that the bubble start going the opposite way which is like they start going up instead of usually goes down right. I was given by one of my greatest mentor who helped me transition. One of like the hardest areas of me becoming a, a lean kind of entrepreneur into more like a stronger entrepreneur. He, he was an essential. He's still an essential mentor and part of my professional life. But yeah, the his words of shake it up and go do something new resonated with me ever since I started talking to him so now from now from there that they on I used and I stole that quote from him. But it definitely I tried to implement this, this into everything that I do. Even though sometimes it can be challenging and we have to try new things right like right now a lot of people are having to to try new things and even things that we haven't tried before. Trying something new so that we're not repeating that the same old standards. So how the role of inclusive innovation place place are rolling this of creating from a social entrepreneur aspect products and services that hopefully change humanity for the better. That's great. I think that leads us into our next question from shake from Senegal, who asks, what lessons did you learn by stepping out of your comfort zone. That's a wonderful question. It's great to to hear being one of the greatest things about international program is being able to connect with people from all over the world so I enjoy that. But yeah, answering the question. Peter Peter. Sure. What lessons did you learn by stepping out of your comfort zone. And I think this could be applied to both your Gilman scholarship as well as you know just starting your own business. Yeah, I think I learned to to go out of my comfort zone as a as a normal standard of who I am as a as a person. So I'm in order to achieve what I want to achieve I know that that dimension of stepping out of comfort zone is has become part of my reality. For example, reaching out and asking for help from people that I might not even get it but just having the courage to seek out and send that question like, I'm not even so bother anymore by the respond that I'm going to get or not get from reaching out to people or trying something new that is not going to work or not like I don't think about the result of what I'm going to get if it's positive or negative I'm always thinking about the experience and naturally doing it so I think, being able to get out of my comfort zone is now part of who I am and of course at the beginning, it was super difficult to do. I think about of my undergrad years, I think one of the things that I was one of the greatest challenges for me as a English learner was to do presentations that was one of my, my nightmares and I would have, I would stay up all night if I had to do a presentation. Oh, I enjoy them. I enjoy them and they're part of what I do they're part of how I tell everyone the things that I'm part of. But definitely at the beginning it was one of those abilities that I had to practice. And I think most of the most of the things that helped me get out of my comfort zone was always being aligned with my interest and passion. I learned early on from that water project that when I was an undergrad that if I align my, my, my passion and interest, then those skills and abilities that don't, you don't have jet are kind of left behind because your passion and interest takes over. When I started reaching out with the different roles that I had to do with that project. I kind of stopped worrying that I didn't possess the skills or the abilities because I would just do it and learn as I went through it. Yeah, I mean that was one of the, of the biggest things that I learned was to, to match your, your interest and passions with what, with what you're doing and I think that then the comfort zone comes out second because your passion drives you. Okay. So we've one last question. Where have you found your mentors and what advice do you have for exchange alumni who are looking for mentors. Yeah, that's a good question mentors I have a lot of mentors that they don't even know they're my mentors, because I just follow them I read their, their knowledge I, I see what they're posting I think one of the greatest things with online resources is that we can access a lot of communication but we must be able to kind of focus on that knowledge that is going to help us grow and it's adding new content and new ideas to our mind. So for example, I, this is incredible that we're hosting this live through Facebook, because I'm actually connected through a lot of my network through Facebook or LinkedIn. Those are my, my two main communities where I kind of connect with other, other people so it's incredible how the mentors that I have had sometimes I have, maybe I follow them on, on LinkedIn, or follow them on Facebook, and they might not even necessarily know that I'm learning from them. I think that that community of people that I follow kind of in that this area of social impact, it's always open to collaborating it's always open to sharing their knowledge. So I would invite anybody who wants to look over my LinkedIn community or even Facebook, a lot of people if you reach out and connect with them they're open to, to talking to you or to, to connect online. But yeah, I think that's one of the greatest things that I have learned that my mentor sometimes it might be a really good book. It might be a really good article that I read that is I adding a lot of insight it might be a blog that I'm following a podcast. I have definitely had mentors who have been like, key people in my life who have helped me go kind of to the next level where where I need to to to go. And those have been throughout the different network and communities that I'm part of so I think one of the most essential important one is this one right the international exchange experience and for me that was that like yeoman scholarship, being able to go to the seminars being able to to go to to to the groups and be part of the different groups that are available, both online and offline have been essential for me. Great. And so I do have like one final final question. What advice would you give to those thinking about doing an international exchange program like the government scholarship. Yes, of course I would say apply do it don't wait until we pass Kobe to learn about it right now there's a time to learn about it. I know there's virtual experiences coming to live to so don't be afraid to try them out. There's so many especially for first generation students is so hard for us to have a network is so hard for us to know what questions to ask. And once you connect to those different pockets of resources, then we're here and we're open to collaborate and we're open to to work with you. Great. Thank you very much Bianca. Thanks for being with us and that was a great answer. Thank you to you, our online viewers for participating. You can learn more about all of our exchange programs at exchanges.state.gov and exchange alumni. You can stop by our website at alumni.state.gov to learn more about funding and other opportunities. And follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter, and be sure to keep visiting us here on Facebook to find out when the next mentor talks is happening. See you all soon. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you everyone.