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>> "Within every moment is the power to choose. Your choices determine your experience of life.
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Choose wisely!" - Caryn Sangster I am so happy you made the decision to join me today, my goal is that you
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will leave with something way more valuable than  money which is a method to living a more focused  
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happier, and meaningful life. One of the things that gives my life purpose, is accomplishing the goals  
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I set for myself. I’ve watched hundreds of Ted Talks, and I’ve always wanted to be on the stage
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and speak my truth. The only problem was, I had no idea what I wanted to talk about.
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But when the opportunity presented itself, I was ready, and I made the conscious decision to go
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after it. And now I stand with Ted’s sign behind me, as a result of that action, asking this question.
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Do you realize how much power you have through the choices you make on a daily basis?
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Granted, there are some things you just can’t control. Like where you were born,
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when you were born, who your parents are. But let’s get past that, let’s look at what you can control.
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Some things you can control are your beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, perspectives, how honest
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you are, who your friends are, etc. I’ll give you a moment to look through the lengthy list
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My favorite thing I can control is how many times I smile daily. But when you really think about it
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there's a lot of power in these choices. And some may even say, “Our life is playing out exactly how
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we are choosing it to” You see, a lot of people adopt this idea that life just happens to them.
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That maybe one day they’ll get lucky and get the things that they want.
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Call me a bubble burster but the things you want, don’t want you. That doesn’t mean you can’t
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get them, it means you got to make the decision  to go after them. Because at the end of the day  
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our future is an accumulation of the choices we  are making now. For instance, if I want to learn  
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Spanish, then I have to make a series of choices that will get me closer to my goal.
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Tengo que elegir aprender todos los días.
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I have to choose to learn every day. Let me drop a truth bomb on y’all, what if I told you our future is
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created based on the often seemingly insignificant  choices we make every single day. Allow me to guide  
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you into a sort of self-reflection. Think  about the results of your current choices.  
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where are you in your relationships, job, health, daily routine. Think about how you spend your time.  
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Now which of your current daily choices are helping you become your best self? Which ones don’t?
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What are the habits, behaviors, people, and, you guessed it… decisions that are familiar but
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no longer serving you? Are any of these things getting in the way of the life you really want to live?
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Are you consciously making decisions or are you a byproduct of your environment? Don’t beat yourself up
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if the answers are not what you anticipated. We often choose things simply based on habit.
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But by letting go of old habits and patterns of behaviors,  you make room for your goals and dreams. One of the  
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easiest ways to see if a choice is worth it is by  asking if it gives your life purpose or meaning.  
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Because defining the future requires us to  define today. This is a lot easier said than done,  
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especially when some of these patterns of behavior stem from comfort or even worse, past trauma.
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Mental health issues can often inhibit our ability to make the best decisions possible. In fact,  
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June 2020 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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shows that 63 of young people and 40 percent of  adults reported experiencing substantial symptoms  
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of anxiety and depression. And before I go on, mental health issues are definitely not a choice.
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But  it's also worth mentioning that if you aren't  getting your daily dose of vitamins and minerals,  
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some sort of physical activity, and  drinking enough water, your body  
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is physically imbalanced, which may contribute to  mental and emotional imbalances. The good thing is  
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those factors are choices. Now many people say “therapy isn't for me”! And it may not be.
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You have the right to choose whatever  type of emotional healing you desire,  
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but if it's emotional healing you need, make  sure to choose it, whatever that may look like  
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for you. Nobody chooses anxiety or depression,  but you do choose how you take care of yourself.  
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Another example that somebody out there may  need to hear is your friends significantly  
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impact your choices. A 2014 study published in the  Journal of Consumer Research found that friends  
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can either offer moral support to each other to  resist temptations, or indulge these temptations  
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with you. This is why it is so important to  choose the right people to surround yourself with.  
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Maybe people that inspire, nurture, and appreciate your spirit. People that will
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motivate and challenge you, need be. People that will help you reach the goals that you want to.  
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And At this point your saying, Ok Alijah I get it, make better choices, but it’s a lot
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more than that. It’s about realizing the control we have over our lives, through these decisions.
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it's about choosing what you want from life,  rather than letting life pick for you. We feel  
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tied down to our careers and obligations,  and these things can make us feel limited.  
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We consider so many aspects of our lives,  often considering ourselves last. But I'm  
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here to tell you, choosing yourself first can be one of the best decisions you ever make.
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Choose yourself, before your job. We've got to make money in order to survive,
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yes, but there are a million ways to make money, and I challenge you to find a way to make money
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while making happiness. You have the right to choose what you want to do, and intentional
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and mindful decisions are likely to result  in living a purposeful and meaningful life.  
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Now, close your eyes and imagine its the future. Go however deep into the future you’d like.
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You are in bed, smelling the morning  dew, and hear the birds chirping.  
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Upon awakening. you realize it's too late to do all  the things you wanted to do when you were younger,  
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more able-bodied, or maybe just simply more capable.  Feel free to open your eyes when you're ready.   
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I know y'all felt that but it won't feel  as bad as being in that position. Your goals,  
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dreams and aspirations are first. This is your  life. You don't want to wake up and realize it's  
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too late to do all the things you wanted,  so make the choice to do them immediately . 
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Now for the light and fun part. Take a pause  and write down something you want to achieve,  
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big or small. What are the daily steps you can  take to get closer to this goal? Write them down,  
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make a plan, and make choices every day that'll  bring you closer to that goal. Stick to it and  
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watch it happen. I'd like to close with reminding  you that there are no limits to the experiences  
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life has for us. When you realize the choice is  yours, your eyes open to a world of possibilities  
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and opportunities waiting for you to pick which  ones you'd like to experience. Don't overthink it,  
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simply decide. Sangster says once again, in  the “Chakra Insight Oracle”, “You are holding
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holding the reins of your life, choose who you want to be and how you want to live today, and ride”  
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Close your eyes one more time, and say, “the choice is mine.” Thank you.
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>> Hello, we're here today to talk about  everybody's favorite subject in school,  
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and that is mathematics. You might have taken a  pause and said, "Wait a minute, math! I hated that  
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subject in school! Why are we discussing this now?!"  Unfortunately math does have a negative opinion  
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attached to it, and we're here today to talk about  maybe how we can change the future to get a more  
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positive light on this subject. Let's start  off with where this negative opinion is formed.  
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Suppose we're a new student entering  college. We declare our major to be business.   
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Somewhere in my education plan, I'm going to have  to take a math class, whether it be college algebra,  
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statistics, it has to happen. Now let's say we get  our schedule for this term, and I see, there it is.  
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The dreaded college algebra. But you know what, I'm  going to be optimistic because why? Math is used  
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in business, right? I'm going to get something out  of this class. Let me go give this a shot, let me  
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be optimistic. I go in take out my notebook take  out, my iPad, whatever I'm gonna take notes with,  
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and the professor will walk in. Now this is a  common problem that is usually thrown on the board,  
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"If peanuts sell for $2.71 a pound and cashews sell  for $3.14 a pound, we want to obtain a  
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mixture where we use ten pounds of peanuts, we want  the total mixture to sell for five dollars a pound,  
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how many pounds of cashews must we use? Now if  you're the student, you're going to take a pause  
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and say what does this have to do with business, okay? 
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And most likely you're going to do this.  Almost every student, and almost everybody who has  
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taken a math class has done this and asked this  question. Professor says, "Question, yes, by all means",  
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"When am I ever going to use this ?" Okay,  the most common question in a math  
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class. And most likely you're going to get  one of two responses from that professor.  
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"You're going to use this in a later class." "We're  building critical thinking skills." Now again, as the  
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student you're still saying, "Was I fully answered?  Did that give me any drive to learn the material,  
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did that fully answer why I need to know this?"  And unfortunately it's a no. And as professors  
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we're going to present complex equations on  the board, so where is the drive and motivation  
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to learn? So here's where the negative opinion  starts. Students feeling that it's irrelevant of  
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what they're learning, okay. Well let's continue  forward here. My philosophy as a professor  
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when I enter my classrooms, it's a little funny,  but I love old boxing movies. And my philosophy  
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is I'm thinking of our class as, I'm your coach  and we're training for a big championship fight.  
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How does that even relate? Well usually in these  movies, you have some intense trainings here, music,  
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push-ups, someone's doing running, some training  that's so demanding that most of us can't survive.  
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But why are athletes objecting themselves to  such training? They have the end goal. They have  
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the drive to achieve that championship. In order  to learn complex mathematics we need that drive.  
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Now I once had a professor that taught me a great  philosophy, and that was the power of abstract  
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mathematics. He told me that if you understand  abstract mathematics, you can dominate any field  
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that you apply it to. Let's talk now about some  abstract mathematics and maybe how we can change  
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how people view math work and maybe get some  excitement towards it. So let's start here with  
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this problem. Let's look here at this image. Now  this is known as a topic in sequences and series.  
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It's commonly taught in college level math classes.  Now unfortunately, when this topic is presented in  
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the classic textbook way, it's also followed by all  of these other equations that come along with it,  
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and we just tell students, "Hey learn this,  you're going to need it one day", "you're  
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going to use it in a later class", and even  worse, "here's 50 to 100 homework problems  
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on this assignment building critical thinking  skills", right? I would imagine after doing that many  
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homework problems you would have some critical  thinking skills, but what are they? Have we really  
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answered the students thirst of why I'm learning  this? Now let me flip the script on you. In my class, 
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I don't start in the classic lecture format. I  start with an image of a car dealership, as so.  
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Now what do we notice from this image? First off,  the people are way too happy purchasing this car.  
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Have you yourself, or do you know anybody that has  been that happy when they sign the dotted line  
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for thousands of dollars of loans? Why is it  that we're not happy? Well we're fed a paper  
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with massive numbers on there, and somewhere  along the line we feel like we're being taken.  
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Somewhere along the line, something is up. And on  the other side you have the salesman that says, 
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"Got you a great deal. We were here for you". Were  you really? Now what if you were in my class, and  
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I told you that all of the equations that I  just started with for sequences and series  
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and the scary looking intimidating math, what if  I told you those were used to derive the formula  
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for your monthly car payment and mortgage  payment? Would you be interested to learn now?  
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Did I just create a drive? Now we have a  motivated student and let me tell you I had  
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the most motivated students when I taught the  subject in this way. I had never had such high  
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test scores on this chapter's content. In fact I  looked at my exam and thought I wrote it too easy,  
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but when I looked it over it was one of the  most difficult exams that I composed because I  
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put word problems on there, and even worse than  math, students hate word problems involving math.  
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But they destroyed it, because they had something  to train for, something that motivated them. Now  
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here's where it even gets interesting to math  educators. Students stayed after class to ask  
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more questions. Students emailed me massive amounts  of emails, more questions. How much should I put down  
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for a car payment? How could I use this math more  to save me money in the car dealership? We went  
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from students wanting to run out of class to now  staying after to ask for more math. Again thinking  
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of how we can change, how we present the material  can create a drive and motivation so we don't have  
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a negative opinion of math. Let's have some more  fun with this. Let's put this other image up here.  
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And now this is typically a lesson known as  exponentials and logarithms. I'm not going to teach  
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it, but that's the title of it. And again, it looks  intimidating, and the common textbook setup is  
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"here's a bunch of formulas, here's a bunch of  theorems, learn them. We're building critical  
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thinking skills." Again you have a student that  says, "why?" All right, funny story behind this actual  
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lecture. When I was a young professor starting out,  one of my first interviews as a part-time teacher,  
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they said, "Hey on exponentials and logarithms,  tell us how you would make this lesson engaging  
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to students". Well here's what I did and here's  what I do now in my class. I showed this image.  
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Young gentleman, money flying around. What  does that have to do with exponents and logs?  
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What if I told you that fully understanding this  chapter would allow you to understand an equation  
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to make you a millionaire in this course. Would  you want to listen? I bet you yourself right now  
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want to know this million dollar equation,  because it does exist. Again I had engagement,  
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and again I had high success rates. Now carrying  this even further, we have many famous financial  
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advisors that talk about a debt-free approach and  using your money wisely to become a millionaire.  
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In this course, I actually showed  them the calculations of how to do so.  
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of how buying the correct car and using that money  towards an investment can make you a millionaire.   
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I have students telling me how much they would  have to invest and when they would become   
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a millionaire, and believe me they were excited for  that math. And then they wanted more. Now imagine  
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that we have math classes that use math to tell  students how to get out of college debt-free, how  
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to buy their first house or car so they're not  in financial hardship, and how to invest properly  
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so they can retire a millionaire. That sounds like  a math course that I'm sure most people would want  
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to take, and again I have students asking more. I  was bound by curriculum in my math classes, but  
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I couldn't leave a hungry student, especially  when I actually got them asking for more math . 
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So what is it that I did? Okay, let me talk to my  college, let me talk to my campus, I want to hold  
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financial math literacy workshops  for anybody who's interested.  
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We did so. Did them over Zoom, this was during  the cCOVID era, but I said, "Hey, send out an  
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email, whoever wants to come will talk about  math and finance" and I thought maybe I would  
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have 20 to 30 students, typical class size. The  morning of the event the organizer emails me,   
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"Hey, you got 100 people or more than 100 people showing  up possibly, be ready." Now during the COVID era  
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I was famously known for wearing a polo or dress  shirt and gym shorts. That was not going to fly  
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on a day like this, so I had to prep myself for all  these people coming and I had never lectured first  
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off to a class that size, or a Zoom session  that size and we did we had over 100 people  
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show up because they wanted to see how math was  applied. Now we could teach math in this manner  
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or we can go back and teach cashews and peanuts.  Where do we get the student interest? Now one last  
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fun example I want to talk about here. You might be  saying if you're a scientist, "Okay, you're telling  
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me the secret to making math fun is finance.  I'm a scientist". I got one for you guys as well.  
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Now let's look at these equations here. These are  related to population dynamics. Classic examples  
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in population dynamics involve "calculate the U.S.  population in 2030". "How fast is bacteria growing ?" 
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All good examples. Now when I do this lesson  students, walk in, I'll put up this slide  
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as the beginning of the day. It says the end of the  world. And I have all the students looking up, "What  
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do you mean, the end of the world?" "I'm going to tell  you how math is going to predict the end of the  
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world today." "What, excuse me?" Okay, little dramatic,  but I have their attention. So why is it that I use  
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this slide? Well, what does population dynamics  matter? The Earth only has a limited amount of  
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resources, we only have so much fossil fuel, we only  have so much food, and the Earth can only sustain  
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a limited population. Now students want to know,  "Okay, how do we use these equations to understand  
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this?" and during the course of this chapter,  we study data and find out when are we going  
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to run out of fossil fuel, when is food going to  become a problem. Now here's the interesting thing,  
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I have students that'll not only stay after class  to ask more questions, but I've had students to say  
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"You know what, I want to be an electrical engineer  now. I want to work in alternative energy to solve  
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this fossil fuel problem. I want to work in a  field that helps this food shortage problem."  
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We went from having students wanting to run from  a math class, to staying after to ask questions to  
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now changing their major to one that involves math,  again just by changing the way that we present it.  
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We could do this or we could still stick  with the old adage of mixing cashews and  
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peanuts. Now how does this define the future  and where do we carry lessons like this ? 
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We as mathematicians talk all the time about the  beauty of math and that there's patterns, math is  
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about learning patterns, and we have a passion for  that. Why not use that passion in a manner that  
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engages students to want to know more? We might say  that we're bound by curriculum, I can only do so  
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much what that textbook tells me, I can only teach  what the curriculum is. But here's the thing that  
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we've got to realize as math educators, professors, and  as mathematicians. Yes we have knowledge in here,  
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we also got math in our hearts, and that  should be portrayed in our lectures  
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we can create content, examples, maybe even change  and write our own textbooks to give students a  
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drive, to set up the stage, what is that fight that  they're going for to make them want to learn?  
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And I'm not saying it's just curriculum, by all means  we can still teach the curriculum that we have to.  
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I'm not saying even make it easier to make math  fun. In fact, I made my curriculum harder by putting  
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word problems. But once you have the drive and  once the students know you're there with them,  
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they'll train, they'll want to know math.  So where is it that we carry this forward?  
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As professors, as math educators,  let's get rid of these two answers.  
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"You're going to use this one day" or "we're  building critical thinking skills". Let's never  
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tell a student that again. Let's also finally  put to rest "when am I ever going to use this?"  
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And more importantly, let's leave those peanuts and  cashews where they belong, in the past. Thank you.
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>> imagine a future where we are producing  innovative technology with cybersecurity in mind  
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that helps us to protect and defend ourselves,  our schools, hospitals, companies, government, and  
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our infrastructure that we rely on daily. The key  word there is innovative or innovation. Innovation  
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requires outside the box thinking and one of the  most critical factors that drives innovation is  
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diversity. America is currently under cyber-attack.  Now let that sink in. America is currently under  
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cyber-attack. when I say America, I’m speaking about you and me, about companies, agencies,
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schools, hospitals, our government, and our critical  infrastructure which includes water, food, energy, 
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transportation, communication, and public health. To  add a numerical value to that statement I'd like  
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to share with you the FBI’s most recent internet crime report. In 2020 there were 791,790  
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internet crime complaints with a loss exceeding  $4.1 billion. On average there were more than   
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2,000 cyber attacks a day in 2020. I love sharing  facts like these, in spite of how scary they sound,  
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because knowledge is power and the more we know  and are aware of, the greater difference we can  
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make. There's another important factor here and  that is, currently there's a huge diversity gap  
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in cybersecurity. Although agencies are aware  of this gap and trying to address the issue,  
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it is not enough. Because how can agencies fix  the gap and recruit what's not there to recruit?  
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For this answer, I look to the collegiate level, to  diversity among populations such as here at CSUSB,  
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where the total student population is 19,404 students  
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sixty-three percent of all students are female,  eighty-eight percent of all students come from a  
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non-white background, and 87 percent of CSUSB  students come from the San Bernardino and  
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Riverside counties. these stats show how diverse we  are and are definitely a cause for celebration.  
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We  also have two amazing scholarship programs here at  CSUSB, specifically in cybersecurity. The National  
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Science Foundation Cybercorps Scholarship  for Service and the Department of Defense  
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Cybersecurity Scholarship Program are both  amazing opportunities to learn and develop  
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your knowledge about cybersecurity, receive a  full paid tuition, and additional support income  
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to allow you to focus on your studies while  developing your skills. And once you graduate  
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you go on to work in the public sector, to  help battle against those cyber-attacks  
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and work with the technology of the day to help  develop the technology of tomorrow. Sounds like  
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the perfect solution to the diversity gap in cybersecurity, right? Well there's a catch. I can speak to  
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how amazing that the scholarship is because I'm  a recipient of the National Science Foundation  
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Scholarship Service but through my research what  I found alarming is that last year only 14% of  
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applicants were female and thus far, this year is 0%.  And the average percentage of non-white applicants  
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is in the low 40 percent range. The diversity  gap in cybersecurity is here at CSUSB, too.  
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When comparing the CSUSB stats to those of the  scholarship program, I had to research to see  
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what is causing these discrepancies. And what I  found is that those from non-white backgrounds  
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such as myself, and females of any background  all had these roadblocks that they needed or  
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still need to overcome just to apply. The number  one roadblock was some sort of self-doubt.   
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Of the women I interviewed, one hundred percent felt  self-doubt as well as the feeling that they were  
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looked at differently or doubted by others when  mentioning they were in cybersecurity. The number  
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two roadblock, we all shared in the feeling of  inadequacy, of not feeling good enough or technical  
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enough. And finally, the number three roadblock:  imposter syndrome, or the feeling of doubting  
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your abilities to the point where you feel like  a fraud or impostor. All of these roadblocks  
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and misconceptions heavily contribute to the  discrepancy between the demographics of the school  
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and the applicants of these scholarships. We must  all face and battle with these internal roadblocks.  
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Remember I said earlier knowledge is power and the more we know, the greater difference
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we can make. Well, just being aware of these  roadblocks is the first step to combating them . 
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From my experience, being a first-generation college student from a Mexican
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and Spanish heritage, I can tell you firsthand  about those feelings of self-doubt. The feelings  
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of not belonging in college, let alone in a cybersecurity scholarship program. Even after receiving  
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the National Science Foundation Scholarship for  Service, I doubted myself, and if anything, being a  
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recipient only amplified the imposter syndrome and  the feeling of not being technical enough. Being in  
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the scholarship program brought on a self-imposed  expectation that I must know everything there  
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is to know about cybersecurity, otherwise how  could I be qualified to receive the scholarship ? 
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What has honestly helped me push these roadblocks  aside was saying yes to any opportunities that  
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come my way. My first introduction to CSUSB  was through a summer scholar experience in  
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cybersecurity. I applied for it on a lark after  seeing an email for it. Once I was accepted to  
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the summer scholar experience, I became more  open to applying or signing up for activities  
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and clubs. It was through the summer scholar  experience that I became a member of the
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cyber security club on campus and now, four years  later, while in my graduate program, I am the  
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president of the club. Being a part of clubs and  volunteering for events gave me the space to fail  
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and be okay with failing. So now even when it seems  daunting to apply for jobs, I know I have all this  
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experience, and that is reassuring in the face  of self-doubt. In the end it's a self-fulfilling  
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prophecy. What you believe becomes a reality. But  the actual reality is our standards for success  
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are distorted, and they do not match that of the  industry. Companies and agencies will train you,
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and the ideal candidate is the one that is passionate  about the field and willing to learn. The future  
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of cybersecurity is dependent on meeting the need  for innovating professionals to work in the field.  
28:46
Particularly here at CSUSB, minorities have the  numbers to fill this need. Moreover, the diversity  
28:52
of backgrounds is key for the innovative thought  that cybersecurity requires. CSUSB is designated  
29:00
as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense by the National Security Agency and
29:05
the Department of Homeland Security. CSUSB has the perfect environment and tools to systematically
29:11
improve the levels of diversity in the field of  cybersecurity, which is crucial for our future  
29:16
success. The opportunities are there, and all that  it requires is that you set aside any self-doubt  
29:22
and just go for it. Be confident in knowing  that you've made it this far in spite of all odds,  
29:29
and use that to reach out for those opportunities.  In closing, I want to remind you again that  
29:36
knowledge is power. And we have the power and  diversity to innovate, secure, and define our future.
29:50
>> Cesar Chavez, Malala Yousefvai, Janet Mock, José Sarria, Bayard Rustin. An attribute these wonderful
30:02
humans have in common is perseverance. Their  ability to overcome seemingly insurmountable  
30:08
obstacles and systems designed to oppress them is  inspiring. Despite having the odds stacked against  
30:16
them, these influential people demonstrate that  perseverance pays off. There's a great deal we can  
30:24
learn from them. The awareness of their self-worth,  the application of their innate abilities , 
30:30
and their level of self-love. You see, self-love  is essential to perseverance, and in my experience  
30:38
the journey begins with self-acceptance. Growing  up as a gay person in a religious household  
30:45
meant that my journey involved a lot of  unlearning. I first had to unlearn what
30:50
I was conditioned to believe about myself  before I could accept myself completely .  
30:56
In the words of James Baldwin, "It took many years of vomiting up all the filth I’d been taught about
31:02
myself, and half-believed, before I was able to walk on the earth as though I had a right to be here."
31:11
To achieve self-love, I had to  accept every aspect of myself,  
31:16
from my stature to the space between my teeth. Only  after self-acceptance was I able to internalize  
31:24
and understand the value of my personal happiness  and peace of mind. I encourage you to do the same.  
31:32
Embrace your uniqueness because you're exactly  who you're meant to be. Your journey is uniquely  
31:37
yours, and giving up in light of adversity is not  an option. Stay the course and you'll experience  
31:46
that perseverance pays off. When you attain  self-love, your aspirations become non-negotiable,  
31:53
and it's the desire to fulfill your dreams and  live your life by your standards that will fuel  
31:58
your perseverance. Self-love is a radical  act in a society that prioritizes status, 
32:05
finances, and fame above all else. But your  greatness lies on the other side of this radical  
32:11
act, because life starts after self-love, and the  time to begin was yesterday. Another important  
32:18
aspect of building perseverance is being prepared,  because put simply, luck favors the prepared. 
32:26
When you are intentional about the  environments you put yourself in,  
32:30
you gain exposure to skills, habits, and resources  that amplify and refine your innate abilities.  
32:36
In my search for a mentor, I attended the  Circle of Change Leadership Conference,  
32:41
which is designed to put college students in  the same room as recruiters from companies like  
32:46
Disney, Coca-Cola, and CBS. I attended the  conference with the intention of meeting a mentor  
32:52
and I was successful. By being intentional about my  actions and putting myself in an ideal environment,  
32:59
I increased the likelihood of making the  connection I was seeking. Four years later, I'm the  
33:05
co-executive producer of Dr. Anita Polite - Wilson’s visual podcasts, and she's a regular contributor on  
33:12
my podcast for the leadership and professional  development of first generation students called  
33:17
LPDcast. After years of working together, I'm  grateful and proud to call her my friend. 
33:24
This leads us to the final aspect of perseverance  that I'm going to share with you all today,  
33:29
which is, you have what it takes. Everything you  need to persevere already dwells within you. 
33:37
Your goals, your happiness, your ability  to overcome is inherent in who you are,  
33:43
and it's demonstrated through your  resiliency and your ability to adapt.  
33:47
You have what it takes to fulfill your goals and  aspirations. You hold the cards, you make the moves. 
33:54
Through self-love and by being intentional about  your choices, you'll refine your innate abilities  
34:00
and learn to persevere through every obstacle you  encounter. I believe you can do it; I know you can.  
34:08
And during moments of difficulty,  I encourage you to always remember  
34:12
that giving up on yourself is not an option,  because perseverance pays off. Thank you.
34:25
>> Finding a parking spot on college campus can  be frustrating, not to mention it may lead to  
34:31
traffic congestion, class delays, and accidents.  To alleviate this challenge, a group of computer  
34:38
engineer students worked on equipping  parking lots with smart parking systems  
34:44
at Cal State San Bernardino. In this talk, I'll  present our system that integrates IoT sensors  
34:51
and surveillance cameras to count vehicle at a parking  structure. While various parking systems have been  
34:59
deployed, the central problem is how to make the  trade-off between cost, accuracy, and reliability.  
35:09
Smart parking system can be divided into three  categories. The first one is sensor-based methods,  
35:17
which use stationary sensors to detect a  vehicle's presence by sensing ultrasonic, optical,  
35:24
magnetism, or pressure changes. You might  have noticed the black circles and squares  
35:32
on the road near intersections, they are so-called  inductive loops. When the vehicle passes over,  
35:39
the car's metal body reduce the inductance  of the wire loop. This change tells the  
35:45
sensor about the presence of the vehicle. At  intersections, this information will then be used  
35:51
to adjust the signal timing. The same type of  sensor has been used to monitor parking lots.  
35:59
The second method for counting vehicles is by using cameras.
36:04
This picture shows the license-plate reader from a nearby toll road. In camera-based methods,   
36:10
computer vision techniques are used to extract vehicle’s movement from camera footage;
36:16
for plate reader it required an array of specialized high-speed cameras.
36:22
If it's just for counting vehicles, a consumer  consumer-grade camera can work reasonably well. 
36:29
The last common method for parking monitor is what  is called crowdsourcing. In popular navigation apps,  
36:37
you've seen the "popular time" graph or  similar functions. It relies on the users  
36:43
voluntarily sharing their parking location  information from their smartphone.
36:50
The more people that are using the app, the  more accurate the estimation will be.  
36:56
Each of these methods have some limitations  when it comes to tracking the number of vehicles  
37:01
coming in and going out of a parking lot. For  sensor-based methods, it is hard to distinguish  
37:08
between two vehicles traveling closely  together versus one slow moving vehicle.
37:19
For camera-based methods, it's challenging to  maintain a clear line of sight at all times,  
37:25
especially in outdoor environment. Additionally,  driving behavior, such as the aggressive  
37:33
and illegal ones in parking lots, can easily  confuse computer vision algorithms. As to  
37:39
crowdsourcing method, the performance heavily  relies on the adoption rate of the smartphone  
37:45
app, so crowdsourcing are mainly used for a  rough estimation of the parking lot occupancy.  
37:54
Given these observations, we  built a smart parking system  
37:58
by integrating both sensor-based and camera  based methods. We installed new IoT sensors  
38:06
at the entrances, and utilized existing civilian  cameras inside parking structure.  
38:14
The pilot side of the system is a  parking structure with 745 parking spots.
38:22
Here's a closer look at the sensor we used. It's a  battery-powered magneto-resistive sensing device.  
38:29
They are installed in holes cored in the pavement  and are covered with epoxy. This picture was taken  
38:37
when we put them in. Different from the traditional  inductive loops, no wiring is required for this  
38:43
sensor. Vehicle detection data are wirelessly  transmitted using IEEE 802.15.4 protocol,  
38:52
this picture on the left shows how we  installed the access point. It is similar  
38:57
to the household WIFI antenna. The detection  data is further relayed to the IT service room  
39:03
inside the parking structure. From there the  detection data is sent to our cloud server.  
39:10
Our system consists of three parts: wireless vehicle detectors, surveillance cameras and a web server.  
39:19
This floor plan shows the setup at one of the entrances. There’s one camera pointing
39:25
to the entrance. The camera was installed by  the campus police to monitor security before  
39:31
this project. Two sensors were installed under  each lane leading towards the parking structure.  
39:39
Now we're looking from the  surveillance camera's perspective.  
39:43
Our vehicle tracking algorithm processes the live  video footage, the boundary box shows the location  
39:50
of the vehicle extracted from the background.  By tracking the center of the boundary box , 
39:56
we can find if the vehicle is entering  or leaving the parking structure.  
40:02
For the IoT sensors, they are triggered when the  vehicles are on top of them. Integrating two sensing  
40:08
methods, it allows us to achieve good accuracy. In  our tests, the vehicle counting accuracy is about 96%.
40:20
Our initial plan was to develop the  smart parking system in two steps:  
40:25
in the first year we'll conduct  a pilot study at one parking lot,  
40:30
then in the second year we'll expand  the system to cover most of the campus.  
40:35
Unfortunately, the second step of the project is  currently on hold due to the COVID-19 interruptions.  
40:44
So, in the last few months, we looked  into data collected by the pilot system.  
40:50
We're interested in how to provide parking  prediction and studied traffic patterns.
40:58
The intuition behind parking prediction is simple.  We can estimate parking occupancy in the next 15  
41:05
or 30 minutes based on historical  data. These figure were taken from  
41:10
our website, it shows the traffic pattern is  similar between two days in different weeks.  
41:18
We can further improve our estimation by  looking at daily and weekly traffic patterns.  
41:26
When we turn to data analysis, we  have some interesting findings.  
41:31
Our parking structure has two entrances, this  figure shows the hourly count of detected vehicles  
41:38
by each line from the two entrances. Each entrance  has two lines, one for enter and one for exit.   
41:47
It's interesting to note the west entrance receives  more traffic than the other entrance. In this  
41:54
figure, the count in blue is significantly larger  than the count in gray. This is likely because  
42:02
the West entrance is closer to other parking lots  and major lecture buildings, which makes students  
42:10
consider West entrance as the default entrance  to the parking structure. Our study finds it will  
42:18
be beneficial to add a parking direction at the  East entrance. This would help to improve traffic  
42:25
flow by balancing the use of both entrances,  and may reduce congestion during rush hours.
42:35
We also looked into weekly traffic patterns, it  may provide insight on long-term traffic trends . 
42:42
well, the last Spring and the Winter  quarters are unconventional, we can see  
42:50
how wildfire-induced power outage and the  COVID-19 pandemic affected the university.  
42:58
Generally speaking, we can use the traffic pattern  to study students' movement behavior. This in turn  
43:05
can help to improve class schedule, campus traffic  management, and plan for emergency response.
43:14
For future work, there are a total  of 7,367 parking spaces on campus,  
43:21
while the pilot system only covers 10.1 percent  of them. We hope to expand the system to include  
43:29
more parking lots. Our ultimate goal is to provide  parking guidance, that is, suggest parking location  
43:38
based on parking lots' occupancy information,  so that we can direct the campus traffic.
43:46
So far, our students deployed the pilot system and  designed a parking prediction algorithm. All of  
43:53
these are student projects, with many support from  the university. In the Computer Science department,  
44:01
our objective has been providing students  with hands-on experience, real world problems,  
44:09
and to better prepare them with a data-driven  mindset and with that, that's how
44:16
we define the future.
44:24
>> According to current data from insidehighered.com,  if you were to ask a decent number of  
44:29
randomly chosen professors on this campus whether  they believe that in-person learning is superior  
44:35
to online learning, over half of them would say "yes."  If you asked me the same question I would answer,  
44:43
"I'm not so sure anymore." I used to be convinced  that nothing could replace the traditional  
44:48
college classroom experience. Now I am convinced  that the shift to online learning was necessary.  
44:55
In fact, I propose that online learning actually  equalizes students and discourages bad teaching.  
45:02
I propose furthermore that in order to remain  relevant, colleges and universities will need to  
45:08
define a future in which online learning is the  norm. Vven in a post-pandemic world, students will  
45:15
continue to want to learn more efficiently and  on their own schedules. Before the pandemic struck,  
45:21
I was driving one and a half hours each way for a  total of six hours every week to teach my French 1  
45:27
class at San Bernardino Valley College.   Then, in early March, everything changed. At the  
45:34
very beginning, no one in San Bernardino had been  affected by COVID so I drove out here to give the  
45:39
midterm. I didn't know that this would be the last  time that I would see my students in the classroom.  
45:47
At first I wasn't sure how I wanted to handle the  shift. I worried because I would no longer be able  
45:52
to write out sentences on the board. Further, I  worried that students wouldn't have the same  
45:57
opportunities to practice speaking. But after a few  initial hiccups, I noticed some interesting changes.  
46:05
I began to feel that I knew the students  almost better than I did in the classroom,  
46:09
because I started to view them as individuals  inhabiting their own separate spaces.  
46:14
I knew that despite everything that was going  on in the world and in their lives, they were  
46:20
still making the effort to stay involved with  the class. That fact alone was meaningful to me.  
46:26
I also noticed many of my students trying harder,  and I think that maybe because they couldn't hide  
46:32
as well in an online environment. Everyone had  to participate. No one could whisper in the back  
46:37
of the classroom or disrupt the class with  loud conversations. One day I decided to play  
46:43
Jeopardy with my class. Once they had the answer,  they simply had to type it into the chat box.  
46:49
I noticed that one student in particular was  superior to all of the others at my Jeopardy game,  
46:54
but he wasn't someone who normally participated in  class. I realized that the online medium had given  
47:01
him the opportunity to demonstrate his skills in a  way that he would not have been able to otherwise.  
47:07
As a result I became aware that he was an "A"  student, whereas in a normal classroom I might  
47:13
have overlooked him. Overall, the transition  has been a positive experience for me.  
47:19
A am now able to teach my class from the comfort  of my own home. I'm not wasting money on gas or  
47:24
losing my sanity after hours and hours on the road.  So why do many professors and administrators still  
47:32
balk at the idea of a future in which learning  does not have to take place on college campuses?  
47:38
We have this overly romantic notion of what the  traditional college experience should look like.   
47:44
I was lucky in the sense that I had the opportunity  to have this experience. I attended Barnard College  
47:50
in New York City. Most of the professors were  spectacular, and I received a good deal of  
47:55
individualized attention. I cannot deny that there  was something special about engaging in lively  
48:00
discussions about Shakespeare over a seminar  table. But many other aspects of my experience  
48:07
were not so positive. I had to sit in the back of  large lecture halls, eat at the school cafeteria,  
48:13
and participate in communal showers. These were  the aspects of college life that I did not enjoy,  
48:19
so much so that I studied abroad as a junior and  moved up off campus as a senior. Other students  
48:26
may have thrived when surrounded by friends and  classmates at all times, but I needed some solitude.  
48:33
Though college administrators would like us to  think otherwise, there is no getting around the  
48:38
fact that the traditional college experience is  becoming obsolete in today's post-pandemic world.  
48:45
Most traditional colleges don't care if the move  online has been advantageous to students. These  
48:50
institutions are facing political pressures  to reopen, and their main concern right now  
48:55
is to recover the financial losses that they  endured when students were forced off campuses.  
49:01
Quite simply, they will do whatever they  can to bring students back at whatever cost.  
49:06
They don't bother to ask the students  what they want, or to stop and  
49:09
consider whether higher education's  entire business model is now antiquated.  
49:15
I am not arguing that socializing isn't an  important aspect of the college experience,  
49:20
of course it is. But we should allow students  to choose how they want to attend class.  
49:26
Why? Because then those lively seminar discussions  will finally be open to students who might not be  
49:32
lucky enough to have wealthy parents. As more and  more teaching shifts online, professors will be  
49:38
forced to revamp their style to meet the needs of  students, and those who refuse will be left behind.  
49:44
These are all steps in the right direction. Because  if we aren't teaching for the benefit of students,  
49:50
what exactly are we doing?
49:57
>> My life is a colorful  storybook filled with trials and successes.
50:02
My life has not been simple. I am a first generation  college student and a child of immigrants.
50:08
I took the chance to go into higher education,  and little did I know that this one shy girl would serve as
50:15
a Student Body President and the  CEO of the Associated Students Incorporated,
50:19
our student government at Cal State San Bernardino. My  parents are from Colima, Mexico, specifically  
50:24
Cuauhtémoc and Buenavista,
50:26
and both sides of my family in Mexico  participate in local government.  
50:30
I swore to myself as a young child that  I would not do that because being a woman  
50:35
specifically of my ethnic background it's difficult  serving folks outside of your values and morals.  
50:41
Now I serve and every decision that is made  on this campus, I am a part of that decision  
50:46
making process. I've redefined what it means to  be a student leader. I serve all. Student leaders,  
50:53
we don't have a guide to lead and leaders in  general. There are so many leadership styles. I  
50:59
lead with my heart my soul and what my values  and morals tell me to do. I would never say yes  
51:05
to something that I morally couldn't do, that would  hurt my constituents, even if it's just one student.  
51:11
I wasn't exposed to that kind of leadership, where  every single thing, every single deed, every single  
51:17
initiative, everything that you do goes back  to what you believe in. And that's how you lead.  
51:23
And I thought to myself, am I going at this radical  because I care and really love our students.  
51:28
I called my executive director, Dr. Jesse Felix,  asking him what that is, and he responds with  
51:34
"That is congruent leadership". And I said, "huh?" He  responds with, "Yeah, leading with love, leading  
51:40
from your heart, every single task, everything that  you do, goes back to your values and your morals."  
51:47
I honor my constituents every day by leading with  love. Now how did I do that? I took that and I ran.  
51:54
You see, I changed how this university  views student government for years to come.  
51:58
For example, grading policies  during the COVID-19 pandemic.  
52:03
I analyzed my constituents cultural and economic  background and we worked towards creating an  
52:08
institutional credit/no credit system that would  stay until we were back in in-person teaching.  
52:14
This benefited not everyone at our campus, but  it helped a lot of our students needing help.  
52:19
Many times I was in uncomfortable situations  because many disagreed with my stances and the  
52:24
way I went about things. You have to keep pushing  when it's from your heart. Leaders, great leaders,  
52:31
say the truth with no fear. You have to be fearless,  especially when it comes to students. I ran so far  
52:38
with utilizing congruent leadership. I went as  far as giving back the students their money back  
52:42
in grants, funding, student employment, meaningful  endowments, gifts, intentional speakers speaking on  
52:49
critical race theory and activism and the list  goes on. Nowadays, student governments are stuck  
52:55
and all we do is host events without intention,  and not reading what our constituents need.  
53:01
You can't compare your leadership  or your corporation. Giving  
53:05
your constituents the quality experience  they deserve is what we need to do better.  
53:11
In my heart, I could not do the stereotypical  student government events with virtual concerts  
53:16
and events promoting the college  experience. Students are dying,  
53:20
burnt out, homeless, battling mental illness,  afraid of law enforcement. I could not spend  
53:26
student dollars on events that are stereotypical.  This year, I questioned every move I made. Are we  
53:33
serving enough? Is our staff comfortable with  their pay so they can help our students? How  
53:38
are our students? What are we not saying? Lead with  intention. Every action has to be with intention.  
53:45
I did not fall into the need to pass resolution  so often, and I promised myself after I passed a  
53:50
resolution that I had no intention, I would not  pass resolution that had no meaning, I would not  
53:56
pass a piece of paper with no action. I would not  send a letter to my constituents with no action.  
54:02
And I'm going to quote a very important person, our  Dean of Students on this campus, Dr. Daria Graham.  
54:07
"A resolution without action is essentially a  weapon". And I took that quote of what Dr. Daria  
54:12
Graham and I really ran again with it. Leading with  intention and leading without being performative  
54:18
are keys to promoting a healthy environment. As a  leader, we strive to provide a great environment  
54:24
and in my role I gave our team that, that you lead  from your heart and advocate to implement change.  
54:31
My thought process when creating change was, no  one is going to care about me when I graduate.  
54:36
No one is going to remember who I am when  I finish my term. I can be as transparent as  
54:41
possible because there are no consequences. I told  myself, I'm going to make them remember who I am  
54:47
because I'm going to change how folks talk to  students. I'm going to change how policies go about,  
54:52
even it affects one student, we change it. Serving  my constituents, I tailored my role to them, and  
54:58
acknowledging the resilience my constituents  have, I will not fail to recognize and note  
55:03
that COVID-19 is still well and alive. Thousands  of students have lost their job, family members  
55:08
have passed away, students are homeless, students  are surviving sexual assault, domestic violence,  
55:13
students are food insecure, the list goes on  and on. These issues arise and students are  
55:19
left with thoughts of, "Should I graduate? Should  I continue? I can graduate in a year, or should  
55:24
I take this gap year and potentially lose  my financial aid so I can be okay mentally?"  
55:29
And we have students going back into their  households after dorming on campus for years.  
55:34
I'm one of those students, and I can speak  from personal experience that going back  
55:38
into a household when I lived alone  for three years is incredibly difficult  
55:42
on your mental health, especially having  strict traditional immigrant parents.  
55:46
These institutions were not built for me.  these institutions were made for white males,  
55:51
not made for women and those of different ethnic  backgrounds. We need to mention intersectionality,  
55:57
a term that means how racism, sexism, and classism  combine in experiences of underrepresented groups.  
56:03
This term was introduced by professor Kimberlé Crenshaw. Although white women were allowed to  
56:09
go to school and did struggle, we need to look  deeper in the intersectionality of higher ed. Black,  
56:15
Indigenous, People of Color, women specifically,  struggled in higher education so we can thrive.  
56:21
As a leader you all need to recognize and be a  part of the discussion and be about diversity,  
56:27
equity, and appreciation, not just your own  culture. Wmerge and learn about different cultures.  
56:33
Always recognize those who have been historically  underrepresented. Create scholarships, awards,  
56:39
moments of recognition, and every task and goal you  keep in mind of those folx. I run with no filter  
56:45
and no fear, and I acknowledge that this institution was not built for me.  
56:50
Black, Indigenous, People of Color, women of  color, women of different ethnic backgrounds  
56:54
who come from underrepresented  communities, we are pleading for help,  
57:00
but higher ed institutions are built to oppress  women of needs, beginning with academics. I suffer  
57:06
from reproductive issues and I fainted in  class because I wasn't allowed to go to the  
57:10
restroom during an exam. The system failed  me that day and it has failed many women.  
57:15
Going into leadership with my lived experiences  has taught me that we need to start radicalizing  
57:20
higher education, beginning from the system  administration, faculty, staff, and students.  
57:25
Radicalizing higher education is interpreted  differently by many, but to me it's creating  
57:30
representation, more faculty and staff that  look like the students that they are serving.  
57:35
In my entire academic career beginning from  preschool, I have had two Latinx teachers. That's  
57:40
unacceptable. Radicalizing higher ed is being  student-centered, and I'm talking about policies,  
57:47
infrastructure, the food on campus, let students  make the decisions. Leaders in higher ed use  
57:54
congruent leadership and higher education, leaders  everywhere use it and let your constituents be a  
58:00
part of the process. Have folks lead with love and  their heart, not for a title but because you care.  
58:09
With these new ideas and new styles of leadership,  there are trials of being a leader. You lose  
58:14
friends, your views change so rapidly, and what  you once felt so strongly about you see in a  
58:19
different lens. As a student that was very  difficult for me. Being a leader is lonely,  
58:24
being at the top is lonely. My partner tells me  that he should be hired because I take work home.  
58:31
Being a leader, you will take work home with you.  It's okay to take it home, especially that we are  
58:36
virtual. Our desk is our work, our school, and for me  it's also my makeup vanity. It's how you manage it.  
58:42
Taking it home is cautiously okay, and yes it's  okay to think about, decompress, but get the work  
58:47
done tomorrow. As leaders we want to fix things  now and it's mentally exhausting, but we cannot  
58:54
serve and honor our constituents if we are not in  the right headspace to take care of our own selves.  
59:00
For me this was not a resume builder or a  guaranteed spot at a grad program or a guaranteed  
59:05
job after. This is my life. I started out as an  activist on campus, fighting for student rights.  
59:10
Being an activist while being a leader is  heartbreaking because you're not understood  
59:14
anymore. I have to say that being a leader broke  me and made me not as academically driven as I  
59:19
once was. However, it showed me what my true  passion and calling was, and that's to lead.  
59:25
My life trials I have faced as a person and in  my undergraduate career should have made me drop  
59:30
out, however has led me to the highest leadership  position I can as a student. I have worked in many  
59:36
areas of this university, I've observed for years  different leadership styles leaders practiced,  
59:41
watching non-student oriented leaders lead our  campus and watch them stay, as well as those who  
59:47
practice congruent leadership and watching  them leave to top institutions and thrive.  
59:52
Students are the reason we continue to function  as an institution. It's only fitting for a student  
59:57
to have discussed the importance of congruent  leadership, because congruent leadership in higher  
60:01
education must be student-centered. Student  leaders and anyone in a position of power  
60:08
who rose to leadership during the COVID-19, for  most of us it wasn't a choice. We followed our  
60:14
hearts because our constituents needed us and  that's where we are today. If there's one thing  
60:19
you take away today, please let it be: lead with  your heart, creating good change, impactful change.  
60:26
Us as leaders, we hold so much privilege. It's up  to us to truly honor our constituents and make  
60:32
the decisions based on them, but also be mindful  of your own self so you can lay in bed knowing  
60:38
that you did everything you can. Love yourself  because you are defining your future. Thank you.
60:48
>> Today I want to talk to you about your health,  and being a nurse for, hmm, a few years now, this is  
60:53
not surprising. Yet if I said I want to talk to  you about your digital health, then that might  
60:58
be. That would be because most people don't mention  digital health, don't even know what it is, yet your  
61:04
health and your digital health are one and the same.  Think about why. Guy comes into the emergency room , 
61:11
confused after hitting his head in an auto  accident, and he lands in an urgent care and  
61:16
isn't really able to say much. Can we pull  up his medical record where his data is ? 
61:21
A few miles from home, in the emergency room, same  question, can we pull up his medical record? Several  
61:27
states away on vacation, probably not. So where  is the data and how effective is our treatment  
61:33
likely to be? As it stands, should he come to  consciousness even for a while, we're limited to  
61:39
a very compromised self-report of medical history  at best, or a history not at all at worst. According  
61:47
to the World Health Organization, digital health  is "a broad umbrella term encompassing e-health  
61:52
as well as emerging areas such as the  use of advanced computing sciences in  
61:56
big data, genomics, and artificial intelligence".  Digital health constituted the primary means for  
62:02
care delivery and changing to digital health  venues happened overnight during the COVID-19  
62:08
pandemic. And when we say big data it means that  healthcare providers now work from huge databases  
62:15
of tens of thousands, millions, even billions of  data pieces which require new methods of analysis  
62:21
in artificial intelligence and machine learning. In  that glut of data is your individual health data,  
62:28
often compared to a benchmark of data from  many, many others who have a similar condition,  
62:32
diagnosis or other things in common, like molecular  structure. Each time we log into the health care  
62:39
provider sites, have an encounter with the provider,  or send and receive messages with them, data is  
62:45
generated. Looking just at frequencies and looking  at what's happened over the past year or so since  
62:50
the outbreak of COVID-19, the use of digital health  services has soared, especially in the United  
62:55
Kingdom and the United States. Some caveats: the  UK National Health Service, NHS, experienced a 912%  
63:04
increase in the use of their app, NHS Digital  in 2020. The novel UK messaging tool NHSMail  
63:11
generated over 100 billion chat messages to its  users and hosted over 24 million meetings. Similar  
63:17
striking rises in telehealth visits occurred  in the U.S., with a 154% percent increase found  
63:24
when comparing two periods early in 2019 and 2020.  Remember, telehealth and its related tools like  
63:31
chatbots and RPM, remote patient monitoring, are  not just about convenience, it's about the data.  
63:38
So when trying to look back and say what really  happened, it's hard to summarize, but the chief  
63:43
operating officer of HIMS, the Health Information  Management Society, said it best. He said,  
63:49
"In this pandemic, we pretty much had to blow up  the classic encounter-based paradigm of health...  
63:54
we had to create a situation where clinicians,  physicians, and nurse practitioners could  
63:59
in fact talk to people not inside the walls of  the clinic but to accelerate areas of telehealth  
64:05
and digital health communications, and we  had to do so quickly. And that, frankly, is  
64:10
not the forte of the healthcare ecosystem. It  doesn't move quickly, and this time we had to."  
64:16
So the benefits of digital health are many reduced  costs in reduced inefficiencies, improved access,  
64:23
better quality, more personalized or  precise diagnostic and treatment encounters, 
64:29
at least according to the FDA. Digital health  technologies, chiefly telehealth services, accessed  
64:35
through smart devices often involve streaming  media, video conferencing, wireless communication.  
64:41
Yet much more than a one-for-one replacement  of a traditional face-to-face interaction,  
64:46
telehealth sessions carry with them other  advantages such as additional touch points of  
64:52
care and additional data points, which strengthen  patient engagement, consumer choice and algorithm  
64:58
training and validation for disease management.  So it's this convergence of technology and care  
65:03
provision that fit together now kind of like fist  and glove, and they really are inseparable. Mm-hm. And you  
65:10
thought the old idea and term "doc in the box"  was about convenience. It was, it is, and now it's  
65:17
about much much more. Every time we dial into the  healthcare provider, your doctor, your nurse, your  
65:22
nurse practitioner, data is organized into a final  form called actionable data. Data about the patient.  
65:29
So the self-report, the HPI, that's the history of  the present illness, signs and symptoms, advice, a  
65:35
prescription, but it's about much, much more now.  The data too is about the encounter itself.  
65:40
How long did it take? Is this a repeat visit? Was video  instruction offered? So what does machine learning  
65:48
and healthcare really look like? Machine learning  and natural language processing in healthcare  
65:53
on Data Science Central's blog, it's the image of  what's going on behind the scenes in the "brain", if  
65:58
you will, of the health care system, or the hospital,  or the outpatient clinic, or the doctor's office.  
66:04
The nurse and doctor are there, I promise you. Look  at all the data in the picture on the left. The  
66:09
EMR, electronic medical record, has data, images,  lab results, everything from your blood sugar,  
66:15
your blood pressure, your cholesterol numbers, so  structured data, also clinical notes, so a narrative  
66:22
on, it's a lot of data for even just one patient.  Times all the patients hospitalized everywhere  
66:28
over time, and this is indeed big data, also known  as humongous data. Well, how does one make sense of  
66:35
it? Well "one" doesn't. One nurse or doctor needs help  from machine learning. On the right we see an image  
66:42
of a neural network. Note the second column shows  what's being searched for by computer algorithms,  
66:48
hidden patterns, things we providers aren't even  looking for, don't ask about, don't know to look for.  
66:56
So here's a friendlier picture, if you will, of data  analytics techniques experts use to analyze that  
67:02
wealth of humongous data. So for professors and  students out there anywhere, traditional science  
67:09
and hypothesis testing, represented by that blue  circle called statistics, is now supplemented in  
67:15
clinical decision making through data analytics  methods. Some are referred to here collectively  
67:20
under KDD, knowledge discovery and databases. Some  specific analytic techniques under that are neural  
67:28
networks, including pattern recognition, nearest  neighbor, SVM or support vector machine, decision  
67:34
trees, and random forests. The volume of data alone  is a reason traditional statistics is not enough  
67:40
for the analysis of big data, as it's called, but  there are other reasons as well, like the velocity  
67:45
or the speed at which the healthcare data comes at  us. Another is the variety of places the big data  
67:51
in healthcare comes from, including administrative  record, like one's zip code or occupation.  
67:58
Pattern recognition is an important  feature of machine learning in health care.  
68:02
Recently researchers learned that remnants  of the RNA of the corona virus is shed in  
68:06
the gastrointestinal system so that sewage data  will show early signs of the presence of covid  
68:12
in a community, as much as seven to ten days prior  to an actual outbreak. So there's a pattern brought  
68:18
to us by machine learning, again, one that we were  not looking for. So where is the provider in all  
68:24
of this? Providers, that's physicians and nurses,  are not going to be replaced by machine learning,  
68:30
but helped by their proper use. So as a provider I  don't need to know intimately all the techniques I  
68:36
just rattled off, but I do need to know that  those things are running behind the scenes  
68:41
in the electronic health care system in order  to support clinical decisions, and that these  
68:45
analytic tools are something that is worthy of my  trust. So here's another name now for COVID-19, and  
68:53
interestingly the great accelerator of digital  health, every aspect of digital delivery of care,  
68:59
digital interaction and care encounters, digital  this, digital that, has all changed and there's no  
69:04
going back. COVID-19 has catapulted the world's  health care provision into an exponential change,  
69:11
the meteoric rise of digital health, so you must  become an e, or electronic patient, as the dominant  
69:18
mode. Not the only mode, but the dominant mode of  healthcare delivery. We know people are afraid:  
69:22
"where's my data going?" But the day is coming,  in fact, that maybe I can only do this digitally.  
69:29
So today though we can selectively share, including  with healthcare providers, we can also use password  
69:34
managers to keep things safe, double authentication  when accessing care digitally, and I can secure my  
69:40
own wireless networks both at home and in  the workplace, and those things keep me safe.  
69:47
For doctors, patients, and engagement, there's no  going back to the old way, not exclusively, anyhow.  
69:52
It's not the first way to do business, either.  Although the doctor's offices, nurse practitioners  
69:57
offices, they'll continue to be full at least in  the short run, many of us will engage digitally  
70:02
almost on demand whenever we are, wherever we are,  and whenever there's a device available to us.  
70:09
There's no going back to the old days where once  or twice yearly doctor's office visit is the norm.  
70:14
It was doctor-centric, it kept the insurance  companies happy, sort of, it was about not  
70:20
necessarily the patient consumer. It also had  waiting times that were long, paper, missed  
70:25
appointments, it was reactive, and the patient  was passive. It was all packed in. Today, a scribe  
70:31
helps with that, but it was very hurried and in my  experience it was never really about the TV doctor  
70:37
like on ER, Gray's Anatomy, Marcus Welby, or any of  the tv doctors. The technology is already there to  
70:44
notify us that there is a doctor available  to see us when we have placed our appointment  
70:49
desire in a window of time. There are accommodating,  meaning safe, HIPAA or healthcare privacy laws, and  
70:56
apps to go with like Spruce, which I've used myself.  So we are or will become ePatients, all of us.  
71:04
For digital health, look at this humorous picture  of which way are you going. You have to ask  
71:10
yourself, which kind of patient are you? A friend of  mine, no names goes to her doctor and plunks down  
71:15
a piece of hardware. What's inside? Blood sugars.  The retrieval and archiving of health information  
71:22
is in something, hardware. It's not connected to  much of anything. But in the picture on the right,  
71:27
Mr. Murphy can find his way to swat at the games  he likes with his paws. Well, not quite really, he  
71:35
seems knowledgeable. You are needed to move from  the left hand side to the right-hand side. So I  
71:40
want you to ask yourself, which way are you going?  Our health care system moves from one which values  
71:45
transaction to one which embraces interaction.  Nurses and physicians will need to reimagine  
71:51
their contribution, moving beyond caregiver to  innovator, technologist, and advocate as well.  
71:57
But the advocacy really begins with you. So there's  a few things wrong with this picture that kind  
72:02
of are addressed in the next one, and that is how  all this data for you as an individual might work.  
72:09
The data is about you and precisely you, and can  be gathered rapidly and in real time, but not with  
72:15
hardware and not with paper. Feeding into the  system with rapid, if not instantaneous, results  
72:21
and medical actions. Also patients are coming  to doctors with everything from a DNA report  
72:26
to output from wearables like EKG tracings,  patterns with gait and posture, and this is  
72:31
what we call precision medicine. In 45 years of  nursing, if it's taught me nothing else, it's this:  
72:38
we talk a lot about highly individualized care,  yet cohort medicine and strata medicine is still  
72:44
being practiced. Your data and treatment  should not be about data and samples of 50 guys  
72:51
with heart failure who are not like you, 100 women  who gave birth last year at the local hospital  
72:56
who are not like you, or cohorts or strata of  samples of people who may or may not be like you.  
73:03
Strata or cohort medicine, one disease entity,  people sometimes share molecular signatures,  
73:09
and we should be grouped that way, instead of by  disease or by diagnosis or ICD 10 codes. So this  
73:16
old way is what we mean by "one size fits  all", and I call it "one size fits no one" medicine.  
73:23
I want you to know the power's in your hands.  Remember your device is your decision, and to  
73:29
be an ePatient and fully engaged, it's  your decision, your device, and your data.  
73:35
With these digital venues comes real  engagement, and that is the customer's  
73:39
future proactive relationship with health care  providers as an ePatient.The Precision Medicine  
73:46
project from the NIH, the National Institute of  Health, is called "All of Us". The goal is to enroll  
73:51
over one million people living in the United  States and that those enrollees truly represent  
73:56
the entire population of the United States. It  will be the largest project of its kind ever,  
74:01
and currently has over 350,000 participants, with  the objective to improve care diagnosis, treatment,  
74:08
for everyone based on individual data, takes into  account your environment- where you live, lifestyle-  
74:14
what you do, and your family health history  and genetic makeup. So go to the All of Us site  
74:20
and sign up. Not only do you get to contribute to  the largest of its kind ever individual care study,  
74:26
you get your own data back. So this is under  the heading of things you also can do on a  
74:33
larger level, societal level. You can advocate for  broadband internet access for everyone. Advocating  
74:38
for internet services as the fourth utility, and  that means along with electricity, water, and gas. 
74:44
Internet access according to visionaries  has long been called the fourth utility.  
74:49
The FCC has recently provided  an interactive mapping tool.  
74:54
The Mapping Broadband Health in America site is  to be used by local state and national planners  
74:59
to overlay and evaluate the intersection of  health and broadband data. There are more things  
75:05
to watch for. The Biden administration is expected  to prioritize health information and technology,  
75:10
including encouraging healthy exceptions to the  information blocking rules as identified in the  
75:16
21st Century CURES Act. We hope this means more  interoperability to save our friend with the  
75:21
motor vehicle accident in the ER, or it means more  patient-centered exchange between environments  
75:27
of care. To assist in this respect, we hope to  someday see an NPI, a National Patient Identifier.  
75:35
The Algorithmic Justice information there is  an organization committed to uncovering racial  
75:41
and gender bias in AI and popularized in the  documentary "Coded Bias". The Algorithmic Justice  
75:46
League harnesses people's stories of personal  unfairness experienced by unjust algorithms, be  
75:53
they from endeavors of hiring, matters of forensics, or provision of medical care. Partnering with  
75:59
organizations of profile like TED, like Bloomberg,  like Business Times and Forbes. A major thrust  
76:07
of activity for all is to galvanize researchers  clinicians and policy makers to harmful aspects of  
76:14
artificial intelligence such as biased algorithms.  I want every nurse and doctor within range to work  
76:21
through their professional society to make change.  Do you know that very few professional societies,  
76:26
if any, have policies, procedures, or toolkits to  help bridge the digital divide between you, you the  
76:34
provider, and their patients? But the provider can  help their patient become an informed ePatient.  
76:40
Join a task force, make it happen, propose  intraprofessional policy aimed at upskilling  
76:45
the workforce in the area of genetics and  genomics, nursing, and precision health. These areas  
76:50
by definition involve digital health and the big  data derived from it, and we are skeletal to that.  
76:57
Policy proposed to this year's American Nurses  Association convention this June, if it passes, this  
77:03
will be the first generalist practitioner society  officially endorsing aspects of digital health.  
77:10
Lastly, here at Cal State San Bernardino we have a  motto, it's called "define the future". Now it's time  
77:17
to go define your future, define your health within  that future, and that includes your digital health  
77:23
within your future. Be an e-Patient.  
77:31
>> My personal mission is to “help people find the greater good in
77:35
humanity by celebrating what’s right in the world!” One of the questions we were asked as children was,  
77:41
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” As a child I loved to draw and sketch, and I wanted
77:47
to be an architect. At some point along the journey, I realized that math was not my forte.
77:53
That being my reality - designing skyscrapers was probably not in my future. We have hopes, we have  
78:01
dreams, we have aspirations as we learn, as we  grow, and as we experience life. We show up in  
78:09
adulthood and we go on job interviews. One of  the most frequently asked interview questions is  
78:15
“Where do you see yourself in the next 5 to 10 years?” I never answer that question in
78:21
the traditional sense. The interviewer's framework  is usually concerned with career goals, specific  
78:27
companies, and locale. It's a linear question. First,  then this, and then that. My answer is "I will work  
78:38
from my strengths in a role that is aligned with my personal mission statement and code of ethics.”   
78:44
I choose to do so because they speak to what I value  and hold to be right and true with the world. The  
78:50
job or state of the world does not change who I am,  so i can confidently operate from this framework.  
78:59
My personal mission is to "help people find the  greater good in humanity by celebrating what's  
79:05
right in the world!" In the first semester of my  doctoral program in organizational leadership at  
79:11
Pepperdine University, my cohort spent time  exploring our personal leadership styles.  
79:17
My personal mission statement came as a result of  the reflections on how I wanted to show up in the  
79:23
world. I had to imagine and I had to give voice to  who and how I would show up as a leader. That was  
79:31
life-defining work that led to the development of my personal code of ethics, “The HYGHWAY.” The HYGHWAY.   
79:39
We are no longer children. No one is  asking what we want to be when we grow up.  
79:44
We are always in pursuit of some form of answer to  that question. Our futures have to be built upon a  
79:51
solid foundation in order to grow, to learn and  to expand our horizons. That foundation includes  
79:58
a personal mission statement and code of ethics  that does not change with each job or life  
80:05
phase. Who you are at a core changes jobs and  makes life better and clearer for you, and for  
80:11
those around you. Others benefit. It is imperative  that you share it with the folks that will journey  
80:18
with you and hold you accountable for being who  you are and doing what you say you will do.  
80:25
As I live out the “HYGHWAY” and help people find  the greater good in humanity by celebrating what's  
80:31
right in the world, I will exhibit an optimistic  countenance from sunrise to sunset and beyond.  
80:40
This is probably the hardest task in my personal  code of ethics. In every situation, it is my attempt  
80:46
to see the glass as half full instead of  half empty. I look for the sunshine at the  
80:53
end of every rainbow. There may not be gold, but  there will be sunshine. As a person of deep fait,h  
80:59
spiritual practices like attending worship and  prayer have helped me to wake up every morning  
81:04
and embrace what is possible. Faith helps me  to see what is right with and in the world.  
81:13
I will exhibit an optimistic countenance from  sunrise to sunset and beyond. As I live out the  
81:20
“HYGHWAY” and I help people find the greater good in  humanity by celebrating what's right in the world, 
81:26
I will treat my body as a temple with a daily  exercise regimen and healthy eating. One of my  
81:34
favorite cookbooks is a healthy eating cook  book by R&B singer and legend Patti LaBelle.  
81:40
In it, she says treat your body like a temple,  not an amusement park. Treat your body like  
81:46
a temple, not an amusement park. Anyone who  follows me on social media knows that I love  
81:53
food. I love high-end restaurants, I love food  trucks, I love hole-in-the-wall restaurants, 
81:57
and I love firing up the grill in my own backyard.  I'm a native Texan and there is nothing like some  
82:03
good barbecue or some fried catfish. As a result of  my love affair with food, my weight has fluctuated  
82:11
throughout the years. We are not to purposely  destroy our temples with unhealthy lifestyles.  
82:17
I have committed to making exercise a part of my  daily routine. Living in Southern California makes  
82:24
getting outdoors and moving a lot easier. I go to  boot camp twice a week at 5:45 a.m. I have returned  
82:32
to one of my favorite childhood activities, riding  the bicycle several times a week. There are so many  
82:38
great bike paths to see along the mountains, along  beaches, and along rivers and urban city streets.  
82:45
Our region has some amazing hikes that I  have yet to fully explore the entire region.  
82:50
I also love leisurely walks and looking at  trees and flowers, and hearing birds chirping  
82:55
as the sun rises each morning. It's a struggle,  but I make attempts to center healthy eating as  
83:02
a consistent part of my lifestyle. I do my best  to abstain from fast food and fried foods. It's  
83:09
easy to roll through a drive-through, but I try my  best to eat a balanced diet that includes all of  
83:14
the food groups in the correct portions. You want  to talk about hard, whew, for a foodie it is hard  
83:20
work to do that! I will treat my body as a temple  with a daily exercise regimen and healthy eating.   
83:30
As I live out the “HYGHWAY”, as I help  people find the greater good in  
83:34
humanity by celebrating what's right in  the world, I will not sit in judgment of  
83:40
others. I will meet people where they are in  life no matter what their circumstance or  
83:45
situation. I acknowledge that I do not totally  know the motivation or perception of others.  
83:52
If I knew their perception, then I could come  closer to understanding their motivation  
83:57
and their actions. Perception is interpreting  stimuli according to organized experience.  
84:04
We see things not as they are, but as we are. My  perception filters may lead to biases or even  
84:12
prejudices. In my educational process, I realized  that my perception is my truth regardless of the  
84:21
facts. Your perception is your truth regardless  of the facts. We must discover the facts together.  
84:31
Most people tend to judge themselves more  charitably than others. We are influenced  
84:36
by what is most obvious and cling to first  impressions. I desire to have empathy- the ability  
84:43
to recreate another's perspective even more than  sympathy- and compassion for another's predicament. 
84:50
I am morally obligated to treat everyone  with respect regardless of who they are,  
84:55
and how they do, or do not, agree with me. This  country boy, this country boy right here has  
85:03
been blessed to travel the world with personal  and professional travel. I've journeyed to six of  
85:08
the seven continents, 45 of our 50 united states  and about 29 countries. I have met people from  
85:14
all over the world, from all walks of life. I  strive to treat everyone with respect. This  
85:21
includes people of all colors, sizes, socioeconomic  backgrounds, lifestyles, political persuasions, and  
85:28
every other category society upholds. I want to  break down walls and I want to build bridges.  
85:36
I will not sit in judgment of others. I will  meet people where they are in life no matter  
85:42
what their circumstance or situation. As I live out  the “HYGHWAY”, as I help people find the greater good  
85:50
in humanity by celebrating what's right in the  world, I will value interpersonal interactions with  
85:57
family, friends, and co-workers. In all interactions, I will seek to build relationships of trust and  
86:03
unity that nurture and build up the persons  who are around me. I've always tried to be an  
86:10
encourager, whether at work or at play. I believe  that everyone needs a positive word or two in  
86:15
their life. Everyone needs someone to pour words of  encouragement into their spirit, which lifts their  
86:22
whole being. It lets people know that you see them  and they matter. This is most easily accomplished  
86:29
among friends and family who have high degrees of  intimacy. Characteristics of intimate relationships  
86:36
are marked by high degrees of warmth and  affection, trust, self-disclosure, and commitment.  
86:44
The melody of thankfulness is encouragement and it  is hope. I believe that by encouraging and building  
86:51
up the people who are around you. You become  a better person in the process. I will value  
86:58
interpersonal interactions with family, friends,  and co-workers in all interactions. I will seek  
87:04
to build relationships of trust and unity that  nurture and build up the persons who are around me.  
87:12
As I live out the “HYGHWAY”, as I live out the  “HYGHWAY” and I help people find the greater  
87:16
good in humanity by celebrating what is right in  the world, I will live a life filled with great  
87:22
joy, great excitement, and a personal commitment to  excellence never looking back saying, "I should have,"  
87:29
or "I could have," but instead saying, "I did!" Life for  me is an exciting adventure! Tomorrow is promised to  
87:38
no one. Each day I want to do my best. My best is  different depending upon what obstacles and what  
87:44
opportunities are presented. I want to take  advantage of every opportunity that is presented.  
87:49
I never want to look back in life with regret, but  look back with amazement and in wonder. When the  
87:58
journey along the highway of life comes to an end,  the thing I want to be said is that I lived well, 
88:05
I lived with purpose ,and I lived with others in  mind. I will live a life filled with great joy,  
88:12
excitement, and a personal commitment to excellence,  never looking back saying "I could have" or "I should  
88:18
have," but instead saying, "I did!" I'm living  my best life when I'm living the “HYGHWAY”.
88:26
What is your personal mission? What would  you include in your personal code of ethics?  
88:31
Are you willing to post them so that folks in your  orbit can hold you accountable as to how you want  
88:36
to show up in the world? One of the quotes, one  of the quotes that I live by is from journalist  
88:41
Hunter S. Thompson. Thompson says that "life should  not be a journey to the grave with the intention  
88:48
of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved  body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud  
88:54
of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and  loudly proclaiming 'Wow! What a ride!" Where do you  
89:04
see yourself in the next five to ten years? I never  answer that question in the traditional sense.  
89:10
The interviewer's framework is usually concerned  with career goals, specific companies, and locales.   
89:16
It's a linear question. First, then  this, and then that. I always answer  
89:23
that i will work from my strengths in a role that  is aligned with my personal mission statement  
89:28
and my personal code of ethics. If I do this, if I do this iIknow that when my journey is complete  
89:36
i can skid into the grave proclaiming, "Wow, what  a ride! What a ride!" I want to have lived a life  
89:43
saying "I did!" I know that I would have lived  my personal mission to the fullest, helping  
89:49
people see the greater good in humanity  by celebrating what's right in the world.  
89:54
As we define the future, what's your  mission? What statement will your life make?
90:04
>> Imagine a banker comes to  you and offers you a deal.  
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The deal is that you will receive 3600 dollars every day and you must  
90:14
spend as much as you can, if possible, all  of it. Only downside of this deal is that  
90:20
you cannot save the money in any means. You must  return the remaining balance by the end of the day.  
90:28
However, next morning you will receive another  3600 dollars. Wouldn't that be a great deal?  
90:35
Wouldn't you try your best to spend every penny?  If you equate the number of minutes in a day,  
90:43
we do receive 3600 minutes every day. We can spend  it in any way we want. Just like the banker's  
90:51
condition, only downside is that you cannot  save any minute from today to spend tomorrow, 
90:59
and you lose all the minutes you didn't spend  today. So how do we get the best out of this deal? 
91:07
One way to use the best out of 3600 minutes  is learning how to spend each minute mindfully  
91:15
and meaningfully. Our ability to intentionally  attend and examine the present moment changes  
91:24
how we perceive our thoughts, emotions, and  behaviors. Analogically, the mindfulness skill  
91:31
is just like training for a marathon. We cannot  expect anyone to run a marathon, or even half of it, 
91:39
without a proper training. In the same way,  we cannot expect people to be aware of their  
91:45
thoughts and feelings without proper training.  The good news is that just like training for a  
91:51
marathon, mindfulness is a learnable and teachable  skill. Studies show that mindfulness people,
91:59
those who are mindful, are psychologically  flexible, emotionally stable and happier,  
92:05
and physically healthier than those who are  less mindful of their thoughts and feelings.  
92:11
Mindfulness as a skill can be implemented in daily  activities if you can provide an accurate guidance  
92:18
and a proper mindset. If you develop a mindset  to perceive thoughts or feelings as they are  
92:26
rather than the way you want, you  are less likely to experience stress  
92:30
in the following moment, less likely to regret your  choices and decisions, hence, you start to change  
92:39
your future moments with a simple skill, that is,  the mindfulness skill. Everything we choose to do  
92:46
today defines our tomorrow. I look at the idea of  the future from a microscopic level. In other words,  
92:55
rather than thinking about the future as  upcoming months or years, it can be perceived  
93:01
as the succeeding moment of the present moment.  If you are to take a task at the present moment,  
93:08
whether achievable or not achievable, it may cause  stress or joy, it may involve gain or loss - the  
93:16
consequence of your approach to the present moment  immediately begins to ensue in the next moment.  
93:23
Most of the time we habitually or instinctually  react without giving too many thoughts into those  
93:29
reactions. Instinctual reaction does not assess  the real nature of our thoughts and feelings.  
93:36
Such reaction is quick to cling if it is appealing  and push away if it is not appealing. In contrast,  
93:44
a mindfulness response examines the  true nature of our thoughts and feelings. 
93:49
It helps us to see things as they are  and maintain equanimity of our mind.  
93:56
The mindfulness skill teaches us that only the  moment we can control is the present moment,   
94:05
so why not choose to say or do things with our best  ability in those moments? People learn to manage  
94:13
and even manipulate their own future, and not  allowing the future to control or define them  
94:20
when they are mindful. Therefore, mindfulness is one  of the most needed skills to define the future.   
94:29
So how can we really be mindful and take a momentary  pause that is most needed? Rather than I continue  
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to talk, I let you experience talk through your  practice. If you may, let's find a less busy place  
94:46
to sit for about two minutes. As I demonstrate  how to sit and how to practice this mindfulness,
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please pay close attention to the sound  of the bell so you can ground yourself.
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If you allow yourself to  close your eyes very gently,
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keep your back straight if possible, not too stiff,  just straight upright so you can focus better.
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Now gently bring your attention to your breath,
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and let's take a deep breath very mindfully.
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As you breathe out, notice the  airflow passing through your nostril.  
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Take one more deep breath with  full attention to the flow of air,
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hold it for a second, breathe out, release the air.
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Let's take one more deep breath.
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Hold it for a second, and relax.
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Now very gently bring your  attention to tip of your nose,
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where you felt the touch of air  passing through your nostril.
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This time as you breathe in  
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make a mental note or say to yourself in  your mind silently, "breathing in, breathing in".
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As you breathe out,
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make another mental note say to yourself  in your mind, "breathing out, breathing out".
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Let your breath flow naturally.
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Keep your attention at the  incoming and outgoing breath.
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Pay close attention to incoming  breath and make mental note.
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As you breathe in, say to yourself,  "breathing in, breathing in".
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When you breathe out,
97:31
say to yourself in your mind,  "breathing out, breathing out".
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If you miss a breath or two, no  worries. just focus at the present breath.
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You may notice the beginning of breath.
97:59
As you notice the beginning of breath, make  a mental note, "beginning of incoming, breath  
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middle of incoming breath, and  the end of incoming breath".
98:14
"Beginning of outgoing breath, middle of  outgoing breath, end of outgoing breath."
98:25
With full awareness, you inhale and exhale.
98:36
If you pay close attention, you may  notice a very brief pause between  
98:42
inhalation and exhalation. Be aware of it.
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From the beginning of incoming breath, middle of  incoming breath, end of incoming breath, the pause.
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Beginning of outgoing breath, middle of outgoing  breath, end of outgoing breath, the second pause.
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Be mindful of one breath cycle.
99:22
Make mental notes precisely when  you breathe in and breathe out.
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Not before, not after, exactly when  the breath comes in and goes out.
99:42
If you notice that your mind starts to wonder,  
99:46
gently take your attention from your breath to  the wondering mind. Now make another mental note,  
99:57
say to yourself silently, "the mind is wondering,  the mind is wondering, the mind is wondering".
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Soon, you will notice that the  wondering mind loses its power.
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Now you can gently bring it back to your breath
100:21
and mindfully observe
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the incoming breath and outgoing breath.
100:46
You will hear the second ring of a bell.  Take your attention from breath to the sound
100:57
and pay attention to the echo to bring you back
101:03
to your surroundings.
101:20
You may open your eyes when you're ready.
101:25
After this brief session of mindfulness practice,  I'm sure you feel how it goes when you practice,  
101:33
but I'm sorry to tell you that you're not fully  enlightened yet, nor your future has fully defined  
101:39
yet. Nevertheless, you just began the journey.  knowing the direction from CSUSB to Las Vegas  
101:47
is not enough to get there. We actually need to  commute to arrive there. The same argument is true  
101:54
about the mindfulness skill. Knowledge is  useful only if we test with our experience.  
102:01
Training for a marathon does not limit your  skill of running to a race alone. In the same way,  
102:08
developing the mindfulness skill focused on breath  is not limited to breath alone, it's a skill. As you  
102:15
master the skill, application is infinite. I've been  practicing and teaching this skill for years now.  
102:24
As a practitioner, and also a teacher, there are so  many interesting incidents happened during my time.  
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I was teaching mindfulness skill to  inmates at Glen Helen Rehabilitation Center  
102:38
for about two years. Most of them were cynical  about the idea, but at least open to try it.  
102:45
They learned mindfulness within two to three  sessions of 10 minutes practice. One day, while  
102:52
I was teaching a class at GHRC, a sheriff  deputy accompanied Mark to my classroom.  
103:00
Mark was one of my students for a month. It was his  day of release. He came and told me, "Mr. Sai, I called  
103:11
my wife yesterday after nine months of silence.  I couldn't accept that my wife had cheated on me.  
103:19
But I dared to call her yesterday. This time,  I didn't speak. I paid attention to what she  
103:25
had to say. I let her speak. I listened to  her for the first time in a phone call.  
103:33
She felt the difference. She started sobbing. In a  broken voice, she told me what happened after I was  
103:41
imprisoned. For the first time I heard the whole  story. I felt different after the phone call. I was  
103:48
being mindful during that phone call." Mark thanked  me for teaching him the mindfulness skill and left  
103:55
the classroom, and I never saw him again in the  jail. Fast forward six months later, I received  
104:04
a call from my friend Natalie, who used to work at  Barstow as a Marriage and Family Therapist intern.  
104:11
She asked me if I knew Mark, who was  released from Glen Helen a few months ago.  
104:18
It didn't take me that long to recall who he  was. Natalie said Mark came to a couple's therapy  
104:24
with his wife. Natalie added that Mark wants me to  know that he's still practicing mindfulness. Mark  
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chose to spend his 10 hour of 3600 minutes to  learn this new skill when he was in my classroom.  
104:40
He continued to practice the skill. It changed his  life. I dare to say that he defined his future by  
104:48
mindfully responding for a few seconds during that  phone call. Imagine a mindful response becomes our  
104:56
nature during stressful and also joyful moments?  You start to use each minute of your day  
105:03
carefully and mindfully. Isn't that a  better plan to define our future? Thank you.
105:15
>> Let me tell you a story. It's a love story.  It's a love story between someone who has  
105:21
passed away and someone who is still alive. While  this may sound a little bit odd to speak about  
105:27
a love story between someone who is alive and  someone who is no longer breathing, I suspect  
105:32
that this is how many people feel who carry  love in their hearts for a person who has died.  
105:38
The love story I'm going to tell  you is a story between Michael  
105:42
and his wife Gloria. Gloria died a couple of years  ago after they were married for more than 50 years.  
105:49
Our conversation began with a simple question when  I asked Michael, "Could you tell me your wife's name  
105:55
and a bit about her?" Michael had no trouble  sharing touching memories, nor did he find it  
106:02
hard to recount the stories that made him laugh  and the moments that brought tears to his eyes.  
106:09
The years of their marriage were the basis  for a rich relationship, and he was eager to  
106:14
introduce his wife to me posthumously. As he and I  spoke, I asked him to tell me what he loved about  
106:22
his wife. He shared with me how his wife was a  music teacher who inspired her students. He told  
106:29
of Gloria's love for her family and how she adored  their nine grandchildren. He valued their shared  
106:35
volunteer work for socially just causes. Michael's  eyes lit up as he spoke about Gloria's passion for  
106:43
nature and how he loved to place flowers next  to her bed when she could no longer go outside.  
106:51
He admired her strength and how she used music  to curve the pain of a debilitating illness that  
106:57
ultimately led to her death. As Michael told me  more details of this graceful and beautiful woman,  
107:05
his love for her and how much he adored her, it was  as if Gloria entered the room, pulled up a chair  
107:12
and sat listening to her stories being told. Like  Michael, when a person we love dies, we do not stop  
107:22
thinking about them. We do not stop caring for them  and we do not stop wanting to recall the best of  
107:28
the times between us. Unfortunately these cherished  memories have often been buried alongside our  
107:35
loved ones, relegated to a place dictated by past  tense descriptions of a relationship gone by.  
107:43
Let me explain. For the last hundred years, the  intersections of psychology and medicine have  
107:49
created a particular model of grief psychology  that has insisted on a one-size-fits-all practice  
107:55
that can sever precious memories. These practices  have been prescribed in medical offices and in  
108:02
many counseling conversations, often advising  bereaved people that they should accept that  
108:07
their loved one is gone and that their grief will  wind its way through a series of stages or tasks.  
108:13
This model is one that we are familiar with, even  if we have never ever read a psychology book  
108:20
or taken a psychology class. It is a model that is  built in descriptions that most often include the  
108:27
five stages of grief, that prescribes the  letting go, the saying goodbye, and finding  
108:34
closure to a relationship. We hear it everywhere- on television shows, we read it in greeting cards , 
108:42
and even from well-intended people who surround  us. Up until very recently, these practices have  
108:50
dominated how people have come to believe  what is the correct way to grieve. For example,  
108:57
bereaved people are encouraged to write letters  of farewell to their deceased loved ones, or they  
109:02
are encouraged to perform rituals of letting go. It  is not unusual to see these practices at memorial  
109:09
services like we might see the releasing of  balloons or the releasing of butterflies, or even  
109:15
advice is given in hopes to resolve unfinished  business between the living and the dead.  
109:22
Bereaved people might even be told when the right  time is to give away items that are connected to  
109:27
their loved ones. Now for some this may be useful  to find that sense of closure or completion, 
109:35
but for many these practices have sequestered and  silenced the love for our deceased to support a  
109:43
belief that the dead should rest in peace. These  leading practices of grief psychology have removed  
109:50
the context of relationship and can overlook  the way in which a person has died. Conventional  
109:57
grief psychology can perhaps even accentuate our  hearts yearning for connection to those who are no  
110:04
longer breathing, and it forces the dead to live  on as if they are a ghost without shape or form.  
110:13
Moving on and forgetting to me seems like a cruel  way to treat a person or even an animal who we  
110:21
love that has passed away. But what if there were  another way? What if rather than saying goodbye  
110:29
when a person dies and disconnecting from their  relationship, we were to think about what remains?  
110:36
What if rather than letting go, we  focus on what continues to be vital?  
110:41
Obviously the relationship will change, the  relationship changes when a person dies, and  
110:46
this requires a different way of us connecting  to them, but the desire to tell the stories, to  
110:53
hold the love that we shared, is an affirming  opportunity to enliven these relationships.  
111:00
I believe remembering practices are the future  of grief psychology. Affirming the best of  
111:07
relationships between the living and those who are  no longer breathing crafts a new way forward, where  
111:14
the deepest pain of grief can ease. Using memories  and love to fashion a relationship between people  
111:22
like Michael and Gloria grows hope where the  relationship can act like a beacon of light,  
111:28
guiding us in what can be some of the  darkest days of life. To step into the  
111:35
future of grief psychology, Michael and Gloria  teach us that we must maintain connection. Now  
111:42
this enlists a whole different set of grief  assumptions that differ from grief psychology.  
111:49
The first thing that we can learn when we  look at the story between Michael and Gloria  
111:54
is that love does not die when a person dies. Love  does not die when a person dies. The love that we  
112:03
shared becomes a resource for the living that  can be tapped into as if it is a guide, to fill a  
112:11
healing place for our hearts, and as a source of  inspiration to find meaning or renewed purpose.  
112:18
When we follow Michael and Gloria's story we also  learn that people do not want to be forgotten and  
112:25
the bereaved do not want to forget those who  have died. I believe that remembering practices  
112:32
re-centers the love for those who are no longer  breathing and affirms that they still matter to us.  
112:39
Remembering practices provides the thinking and  the tools that shifts grief psychology towards  
112:45
love and towards relationship. Remembering  practices has the potential to alleviate  
112:52
the deepest pain of longing, the kind of pain that  can steal our breath and can bring us to our knees.  
113:00
Remembering the best of the past to shape a  way forward can provide healing for the wounds  
113:06
that grief can bring. Remembering those who have  died means that we can actively conjure their  
113:12
stories to mind, we can speak about the cherished  memories, we can introduce the stories of them to  
113:20
people who did not know them. Remembering is not a  passive process but one where we continue to feel  
113:28
our love for people who have been significant  to us and we can even imagine their love for us.  
113:36
Remembering those who have passed away allows  us to actively include them in our lives.  
113:42
Through this inclusion we can form new meaning  
113:45
and new purpose while we continue to carry our  shared memories to shape us into a new experience.  
113:53
Practicing remembering looks like  Michael introducing me to his wife Gloria.  
113:58
Remembering practices also looks  like the mother who speaks to her son  
114:03
every morning as she is preparing for her day even  though he has been dead for more than a decade.  
114:10
Remembering is also the wife who finds comfort  in wearing her husband's bathrobe to sleep in, 
114:16
she imagines his arms around her, hugging  her tight, and this brings her comfort. These  
114:24
practices create loving memories, bringing a sense  of the person who is no longer alive closer to us.  
114:32
Michael and Gloria also teach us there is no  time limit as to when we have to stop saying  
114:38
a loved one's name out loud, and there is no  time limit when stories have to stop being told.  
114:45
This includes that we are not  required to let go of meaningful items  
114:50
or cut the bonds between the living  and those who are no longer breathing.  
114:55
We can invite loved ones who are no longer with  us physically to travel with us. They can travel  
115:02
with us to the grocery store, to workplaces to  celebrations we share and to places of worship.  
115:10
Michael and Gloria teach us so much. They further  teach us that remembering can both be a private  
115:16
act or ritual to connect with our deceased loved  ones, but they can also be very public moments.  
115:25
Remembering practices are the sharing  of stories around a holiday meal,  
115:29
of years gone by, or perhaps it's the  acknowledging of a deceased person's pride  
115:35
in the new graduate. Public acts of remembering  looks like the time when the actor Jamie Foxx  
115:42
spoke during his Oscar acceptance speech that  he could not wait to go to sleep that night  
115:47
and have a conversation in his dreams with his  deceased grandmother about his accomplishments.  
115:54
We all can have grandmothers, or others who have  passed away, in very public spaces to consult  
116:03
and to feel their pride in our accomplishments. 
116:08
When a relationship was loving, we want  to celebrate this for the years to come.  
116:13
For Michael, this meant he could introduce his wife  to me and what was shared between them, and that  
116:18
invoked her presence. Remembering weaves a future  tapestry for Michael where Gloria's imagined  
116:24
presence has a hand in creating the appearance of  this tapestry's texture and its hues. If Michael  
116:33
were only to be guided to adjust to being alone  or how to say goodbye to the love of his life,  
116:38
this tapestry remains colorless and everyone loses-  their children, their nine grandchildren, and for  
116:46
all those who have yet to be introduced to Gloria  and to hear of Michael's beautiful love for her.  
116:53
Instead, when we practice the remembering, it  is highlighted in such a way that their love  
117:01
is entwined in what continues  to give daily meaning to him.  
117:07
Michael speaks to her in his favorite reading  chair, where there's a lovely picture of Gloria  
117:12
next to him. He tells me it's a comfort to have her  nearby as he points to the picture. He consults her  
117:20
opinion on important matters. He tells me that  this is mostly on all matters, but mostly involving  
117:27
those of his children and their grandchildren. He  explains that he likes to keep her updated, knowing  
117:35
that this would be important to Gloria. Remembering  practices brings her imagined voice, one that  
117:41
Michael would no doubt be very familiar with  after more than a half century of marriage, to life.  
117:49
It is her voice, along with his, that creates this  beautiful tapestry, woven with colors and threads  
117:56
that are new. Michael and Gloria's stories  as told by him, as well as their children  
118:05
and their grandchildren can add  to this beautiful vibrant tapestry.
118:12
Remembering practices can inform grief psychology  and counseling conversations where relationships  
118:19
are centered to uphold the best of our loving  humanity. Remembering can ease the suffering of  
118:25
parents whose newborn has died, or soothe  the shattered lives after someone we love  
118:32
dies by their own hand. Remembering practices  can also help those who have experienced painful  
118:40
disconnection with the person who has died  or was caused harm and suffered abuses in the  
118:45
relationship. We do this by carefully restoring  a sense of agency to the person who is grieving . 
118:53
These practices allow the bereaved to figuratively  find their footing on days when this seems almost  
119:00
impossible. Remembering practices are  not a model of grief psychology that is  
119:07
predicated by stages, but one that is guided by  stories of love of strength and of connection.  
119:16
Michael spoke to me about the day that  he brought his wife's ashes home. He told  
119:23
me how he felt protective of her on that day,  protective of her just like when she was alive.  
119:30
He explained to me that when he picked her ashes  up, he wasn't sure where he was going to put them.  
119:37
He said when he got home he had an imagined  conversation with her where he consulted her about  
119:43
where to put them, and decided to put them on the  hearth right next to where she sat and would read.  
119:50
He said that he imagined her  presence encouraging him to do this,  
119:55
and he said that this was a very  peaceful thing to have her ashes nearby.  
120:02
As someone who believes in the practice of  remembering and the telling of the love stories,  
120:07
I know that Gloria would approve of being  consulted in this way, of having the memory  
120:12
of her voice and their shared love invoked. She  would like that this brings comfort to Michael.  
120:21
we all deserve this kind of love to  be cared for tenderly and after we die  
120:29
We deserve to be cared for tenderly by those  who are connected to us while we are alive. To do  
120:38
anything less, to not practice remembering, to me  seems like such a waste to a love story. Thank you.
120:52
>> This is a hundred dollar bill and remembering  
120:56
its value is the most important  aspect of our conversation today.
121:03
My name is Nadiyah Herron and I am an educator. And like you, I am exhausted
121:11
from the Zoom meetings, the conference calls,  the memos, and the email threads about race.
121:18
Our country is having a reckoning  
121:22
following the death of George Floyd.  A reckoning with systemic racism.
121:29
All this time I couldn't help  but think, do we as educators lack  
121:37
the capability to better serve our students when  it comes to diversity equity and inclusion in  
121:42
our classrooms? The truth is much darker and  much more complex than we care to realize:  
121:49
we lack the will and even the motivation to try . 
121:53
We lack the consciousness to take responsibility  for the collective failings of inequity and social  
122:00
injustice so deeply ingrained in our educational  system. Oh I'm exhausted though because I care , 
122:08
and you should too. You should care because  classrooms have long been the battleground in the  
122:14
struggle for social injustice and students, oh they  have consistently been leaders on the front lines.  
122:22
For example, in 1947, a courageous  Mexican-American farming family out of California-  
122:31
California we are always making trouble, but  good trouble- this family, they dared to challenge  
122:39
the law and the consciousness of the American  justice system, and they won. They fought for equal  
122:46
schooling for their three children. This Mendez v  Westminster case was able to lay the foundation  
122:53
for Thurgood marshal to argue the Brown v Board  of Education case in front of the Supreme Court,  
123:00
and that is the case that upended  segregated classrooms across this nation.
123:07
And yeah, that's great,
123:11
but 67 years later we are still waiting on  equality in the classroom, wildly grasping  
123:18
at diversity through a haze of racial tension  and virtue signaling as inequality persists.  
123:29
Oh you should care, because we know that the  research says that students internalize the  
123:34
unfair treatment that they experience in  the classroom. When you see them as limited,  
123:40
small, sub-human, they begin to believe the same  about themselves. We must not tolerate such conduct  
123:48
from a professional segment of persons entrusted  to educate, enlighten, and inspire. The truth is, if  
123:58
our classrooms are the symbolic barometer for the  future health of our nation, then instructors must  
124:03
intentionally embody their role in the health  of said nation or risk ideological genocide.  
124:13
We must have equality in our classrooms and  restructure the function of those who refuse to  
124:20
change. After all, classrooms are becoming more  racially and ethnically diverse. According to  
124:27
the US Census in 2018, of the undergraduate  student population, 52.9 percent were white,
124:37
20.9 were Hispanic, 15.1 were Black, 7.6 were  Asian, and everybody else identified as "other".  
124:44
Keep up. That same year, according to the  National Center for Education Statistics,  
124:51
of the full-time professors, 75 percent were  white, 12 percent were Asian, and for Hispanic  
124:58
and African American full-time professors, they  represented 6, respectively. There is a glaring  
125:08
gap between the faculty and the student population  that we claim to serve. These statistics speak to  
125:15
the chasms and polarization that have long impeded  meaningful progress in the aim of social justice  
125:22
and mobilizing for change in our classrooms.  Moreover, this profound gap is the primer for a  
125:28
slurry of potentially harmful interactions similar  to what we saw with the professor whose response  
125:36
regarding a simple question  surrounding the recent unrest  
125:40
earned him a suspension and calls to be fired.
125:45
Furthermore, it led to a breakdown of trust
125:52
and a loss of that relationship,  that sacred relationship between  
125:57
teacher and pupil. If academic minds can come  together and solve Pierre Fermat's last theorem,  
126:04
then surely we can solve this issue of racism  in our lifetime. If we can put a man on the moon,  
126:10
then certainly we can address inequity and social  injustice in our classrooms. We can begin by  
126:17
closing the representation gap in institutions  of higher learning across this country.  
126:23
You should care because the future  of our nation will look like the  
126:26
student population that we serve today.  Their tomorrow rest upon our shoulders  
126:34
Now, if a Black student walks into your classroom,  know that they have defied the odds. Know that  
126:41
they continue to participate in a system  designed for their failure, a system that  
126:48
created laws to prevent them from gaining wealth  and then would criminalize their poverty. A system  
126:54
that would prevent them from reading, making it  illegal for them to read, and then punish them  
126:59
for being illiterate. A system designed to send  them from the classroom to the prison pipeline.  
127:04
A uniquely American system that assaults them on  every front, from disparities in their health care  
127:09
to confinement in impoverished neighborhoods, to  disproportion exposure to inferior schoolings, to  
127:15
significantly greater dangers and encounters with  law enforcement, and I could go on. From the labor  
127:22
market discrimination that's waiting for them on  the other side of graduation to a television media-  
127:28
and this one is important- to a  television media that manufactures  
127:33
and reinforces disparaging portraits of  their identity by telling you that they  
127:37
as Black people are sub-human, validating the abuse  that they receive. Know that when these students  
127:45
sign their names on the papers and assignments  that they turn into you, they're not really  
127:49
signing their names. They're actually signing the  names of the person who owned their great-great  
127:54
grandparent in slavery. Pause for just a second and  realize how deep the veins of systemic racism run.  
128:06
Many are going to be defeated before  they even walk through the door , 
128:09
but they're still coming, they are walking  through your classroom doors. And many are  
128:13
met with instructors who express dissent for  their skin through harmful microaggressions  
128:19
or pathologizing of their culture. These affronts  are often coupled with assumptions of criminality,  
128:26
resulting in over-policing on our college  campuses and universities. Black people portrayed  
128:31
as violent in America, when more often than not,  we are on the receiving end of said violence.  
128:37
They face ascriptions of their intelligence,  while they're more accurately experiencing  
128:42
historic growth in education. In 2015, a report by  Nielson documented that high school graduation  
128:48
rates and the percentage of Black high school  graduates enrolled in college jumped to historic  
128:54
heights, outpacing that of any other ethnic group,  outpacing that of the total population, period.  
129:03
But just because they're brilliant doesn't mean  that they don't feel. Know that, ironically, the  
129:08
first time many of them experienced racism was  in the classroom. And know that they will more  
129:12
than likely continue to experience the weight  and trauma of racism throughout their lifetime.  
129:18
But I know, this too really has nothing to do with  you. So the question remains, why should you care? 
129:29
As the nation recovers from the  polarizing events that followed the death  
129:33
of George Floyd and we return to our campuses,  classrooms, and community as educators,  
129:40
we must acknowledge some pretty daunting  realities. This is not just about the death  
129:49
of George Floyd. We must acknowledge that  his death is only a singular occurrence in  
129:54
a scathing epidemic of collective race-based  violence and systemic oppression perpetrated  
130:00
on Black persons in this country since its  inception. We must cease in our failure to  
130:06
recognize the undeniable truth: America is a  great nation, but it was built on a foundation  
130:15
of hate, that encompassed slavery, White Supremacy  and mass genocide. A foundation that cannot stand  
130:22
if you choose to. If we choose to. Will  we continue to be passive participants  
130:30
in a culture of silence in our classrooms, or  will we begin to develop a consciousness to be  
130:35
a part of something bigger than ourselves? Now  I understand, no, no, you are not responsible for  
130:40
something that happened centuries ago, that  you have nothing to do with. But you do have  
130:46
the opportunity to be a part of a solution for  what's going on right now: contemporary oppression,  
130:51
contemporary marginalization, and  contemporary brutal violence. We are dying today.  
130:58
You have the opportunity to be a part of a kind of  justice that will ripple through the generations.  
131:05
The academic community must, we must adopt an  iterative process of developing and enforcing  
131:12
meaningful strategies in the aim of peace, from  systemic violence and racism aimed at minoritized  
131:18
communities, more specifically African American  people, in our educational system and society as a  
131:25
whole. We are here today because a man propelled by  centuries of racial injustice kneeled on another  
131:33
man's neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds. Now  there were three other people there, and had one  
131:42
taken one of those seconds to  speak up, we might not be here today.
131:48
I'm not asking you to abandon any long-held  religious or political beliefs. I'm just asking  
131:53
you, no, I am begging you to speak up. Inequality  persists in our classrooms and it is time that we  
132:01
adjust our behavior accordingly. This will require  collective efforts of deliberative engagement,  
132:08
authentic dialogic, interaction with  interorganizational, interdivisional, and  
132:13
interdisciplinary alignment. The future of this  country will be decided in our classrooms.  
132:20
The future of this country, educators, it will be shaped  by you. And that's why it is time to care now.
132:32
I did not forget about this hundred-dollar bill.  To the African American student under the sound  
132:36
of my voice, like this hundred-dollar bill you  may have been walked on, stepped over, you may  
132:42
feel overlooked, but you must never forget your  value. You see, I didn't forget this hundred-dollar  
132:49
bill because it still has its value. You must  never forget your value, so that in your success  
132:54
you may pay homage to the generation of Black  folks that came before you and shed their blood  
133:00
that their progeny might know true freedom. You  must never forget your value that you may give  
133:05
hope and inspire action in the next generation  that's coming up behind you, that they may take the  
133:10
torch of progress, that they may take the tenets of  Black genius and run with it without restraint.   
133:16
No, you must never forget your value. Remember that  you are seen, you are supported, you are loved,  
133:25
and you, you are invaluable. My name is Nadiyah Herron, and I thank you so much for listening.
133:39
>> Hi, my name is Jaquet Dumas and I'm so excited to be able to share with you all today.   
133:46
Let's jump right into it. Now, this is not  an adorable picture that makes me think  
133:51
of happy times, but this is a picture  that is probably about 20 years old  
133:57
that I am sharing with you, and this is a  picture of me. Can you guess which one is me?  
134:04
I am definitely standing here, full of  optimism. This picture was drawn of me  
134:12
and one of my colleagues by a student, and this was  a time where I felt full of hope, full of ambition.  
134:22
And I started my first year teaching, I'll tell you  what. That feeling did not last long. At the end of  
134:30
that school year, I realized that I had failed my  students miserably. And I'm sure you're thinking, oh  
134:38
come on, it probably wasn't that bad, you probably  did okay, you were a first year teacher. No, I'm  
134:44
talking failed them miserably. I got to the end of  the school year that the student has represented  
134:51
here, and at the end of the year I realized that my  African American students had not done very well - 
135:01
not done poorly, but failed, in my opinion, failed,  because they were feeding into the statistics  
135:11
that we were seeing at the time in education.  And I realized that all of that ambition,  
135:17
all of that hope, all of those well wishes,  were wasted in a year full of good intentions 
135:25
rather than intentional decisions. Have you  ever failed at something? How did it feel?  
135:32
When you failed miserably, how did it feel? What  did it look like to rethink your decisions?  
135:39
What did it look like to rethink your steps?  Well that was me, that was me thinking about  
135:46
how could I be an African American teacher and  present and spend a year with students and at the  
135:53
end, they not be successful? I'm African American,  how could this happen? But I realize that it's  
136:01
not just about good intentions, it's not about  ambition, it's not about hope, it is about making  
136:08
a series of decisions and watching those decisions  make change in our community. Now I like math.  
136:16
And I know, I know, don't, you know, don't hate  me for liking math. I love math actually. 
136:22
I want you to take a look at this problem. I  want you to solve this problem if you can.  
136:28
So you've got three numbers here. It's not a trick  answer. Yes, they're going in descending order, but  
136:34
these numbers represent much more than a simple  math problem or a brain bender. These numbers  
136:43
represent a plight of a community 45, 45 years  of stalled progress in education. 45 years of  
136:54
educators attempting to change the trajectory  of our African American students. 45 years  
137:01
of attempting to close an achievement gap. 45 years  of reform. 45 years of superintendents. 45 years  
137:09
of parents. 45 years of changes. 45 years of  legislation. 45 years where we attempted to rectify  
137:20
for a group of students the education that they so  well deserve. 45 years. 15. 15 represents the percent  
137:33
of African American students who are proficient  in reading. Proficient or above. That's the number  
137:42
combined. 15%. Yeah, you did your math right. That  means that 85% of our African American students, 
137:50
they read below grade level. Many far below  grade level. I think you're kind of getting  
137:57
the sense that this is not your "do now" or your  seat bell work when you come into your math class . 
138:05
Eight. Eight represents the number of  African American male students who drop  
138:12
out of school. These are the numbers, these  are the facts. These are the representation of  
138:23
our students who we have failed miserably. And  I don't say this to point you ou., I say this to  
138:31
point myself out. I say this to point out our  community. We are in a state of emergency, and  
138:40
what happens in a state of emergency? There must  be a response in a state of emergency. Imagine, 
138:48
imagine a student. Imagine a student who  grows up in a single parent home, qualifies  
138:59
for free and reduced lunch. Imagine a student  who attends a school with very limited resources.  
139:07
Imagine a student that by the time that  student hit 10th grade, that student  
139:14
went to a school where the school simply ran out  of math classes. There were such little resources  
139:21
available for that student that there were no  longer any classes for mathematics. Yes, that  
139:28
means they could not meet their A through  G requirements on campus at that school.  
139:34
Imagine a student who looks around campus  and the best role model they could find was  
139:41
a sprinkle of teachers, a handful of teacher's aides,  and some support staff that they saw on occasion,  
139:50
but no role models in administration, and even the  role models on campus that were teachers, it was  
139:57
hit or miss whether that teacher would actually  be matched with that student. Imagine a student  
140:05
who attends an AP English class, and that teacher  of that AP English class tells that student,  
140:14
"You are not qualified to be in this class.  There's no amount of work that you could do  
140:20
that could make you qualify to write well enough  to be successful in this class." I'm not going to  
140:29
make you imagine anymore. You are looking at that  said student. I am the statistics of what has been  
140:38
written about our African American student. The  problem is that there is a difference that can be  
140:46
made. I am living the difference and my community  made the difference. I am not that inherently smart.  
140:57
I was not raised in a family that knew everything  to do. I was not given the rules or the guidelines  
141:06
of how to overcome the plight of what I was dealt  with. But I was blessed with a community. And the  
141:14
community around me, they pushed me to be- and I'm  not talking about my African American community,  
141:22
because for many they may think, "wow, that's awesome,  her immediate community rallied around her"- no,  
141:29
it was not African American community. It was a  diverse community. A diverse community of people  
141:36
who pushed me to be, and they made the difference.  It was a diverse community of people- different  
141:43
ages, different racial backgrounds, and really  different platforms. All of the people who are  
141:49
in this community did not exist just in  my school. They existed in my neighborhood.  
141:57
They existed in my church. They existed between  the kind words of a grocer who saw me counting  
142:06
the items in the basket and trying to race my mom  to figure out the bill so that I could get the  
142:13
quarter or some of the change that was left over,  and that grocer encouraging me- that I was almost  
142:20
there. It came from a full 360 degree community  that pushed me to be and eliminated the statistics  
142:30
that tried to dictate what my future would be. And with that difference and pushing me to be,  
142:37
they also believed. Belief is a powerful  thing, Belief can change your trajectory of  
142:45
anything that you're facing in life. Belief. Belief  will cause you to change the deficit thinking  
142:54
when it comes to our African American community  and our African American students. That belief  
143:00
is going to be the difference. When we cause this  rallying around of those who are in need the most  
143:09
that belief is going to change the understanding  or the common belief that African American parents  
143:16
do not show up because they do not care. The  belief is that our African American parents,  
143:21
while they may not know what to do, they do care.  The belief has to change and to the mindset of  
143:29
really thinking about this idea that not only  can students achieve, but our Black students will  
143:40
achieve. And that simple shift in mindset makes the  difference. Yeah, here I am with the numbers again.  
143:48
4,120. Those are my kids. You're looking at me you're making some  
143:55
calculations. You're thinking, "Ten months? How  old could she be?" I know, it happens. I talk  
144:03
about my kids like they're my kids because  they're my kids. Now I've only birthed six  
144:09
in the natural, it's true, but all 4,120 students  that have come through my doors as a classroom  
144:19
teacher and as an administrator, they are my  students. 18,000. that's approximately the amount  
144:27
of students that I've touched through teaching  teachers, and they are my students. 7.7 million.  
144:36
That's how many African American students  we have in the U.S. and they are my  
144:43
students. "What do you mean?" Okay, I know you kind  of were with me at first, right, with the 4 000.  
144:48
but all of these students. they're not just my  students, but they are our students. They belong to  
144:56
our communities. They belong to our future. When we  think about responsibility, it can be daunting. But  
145:06
our future is defined by our response to today's  problems and the way that we respond, whether we  
145:15
respond well or whether we do not respond well. It  is our ability to respond that will define where  
145:24
we are going. It will define the breakthroughs in  science. It will define how we overcome the social  
145:30
ills and social problems. And so that's why I  propose to you that those 7.7 million, they're not  
145:37
my students, they're not just my students, they are  not the problem of the African American community,  
145:43
they're not even the problem of our current  education system. They are not the problem of  
145:47
the local poor school down the street. They are our  shared issue. They are our students. They are our  
145:56
future. They are our success. They are the ones who  we are depending on to look at how we will thrive.
146:05
And so when we take on this shared responsibility,  it's not a burden, but it's an opportunity for us to rally together
146:13
and become a powerful community.  When we look at this responsibility, I'm asking you
146:22
to do three things. I'm asking you to show up. I'm  asking you to speak up. I'm asking you to pay up.  
146:31
They are our Black students. They don't belong to  one lane of people, but they belong to all of us.  
146:41
When we look at the 45 years and the plight of  what we've seen, it has to be more than one group  
146:52
of society to show up. What does showing up look like?  Show up as a mentor. Show up as an organization.  
147:00
Show up and be there when people are rallying  around education and policies. Show up. Show up  
147:10
in your vote and then show up with your voice.  Speak up. Speak up about the social ills and the  
147:18
injustice that you're observing. We need more than  a social media post. We need more than this feeling  
147:26
of empathy that overwhelms us when we see these  numbers or when we even hear a TEDx talk on it. We  
147:33
need more than this feeling and emotion that goes  absolutely nowhere. We need for that emotion to  
147:40
turn into your voice, to cry out loud against what  you see, against the trends. Ask the hard questions.  
147:49
Ask why the lack of diversity in administration.  Ask why the lack of progress in your community.  
147:55
Ask why. Ask where the dollars are going when  we look at community organizations and programs.  
148:02
And speaking of that, pay up. Take your resources  and put them where it counts. Maybe you don't know  
148:09
where to put the resources. Do the research and  put in your time resources. Put in your money.  
148:16
As a community, we have a responsibility. And this  responsibility is not to the children you birthed,  
148:23
not to the children that go to the school that  your children happen to go to, not to the school  
148:28
up to the street, but all of our students. Our Black  students, our future, our community.
148:41
>> I would like to start by giving thanks
148:44
to the Yuhaviatam (Serrano) First Nation, whose unceded stolen traditional
148:47
indigenous homeland I call home. What I'm about to  share with you relates to shared ongoing struggles  
148:54
to those who long for liberation. There is a meme  with a shot from The Matrix films where Morpheus,  
149:00
portrayed by Laurence Fishburne, informs Neo  of the existence of artificial intelligence  
149:05
programs known as "agents" that can move in and  out of any software hardwired to the system . 
149:12
A second variation presents a shot from  the moment Morpheus gives Neo the option  
149:16
of taking a blue pill to continue to live  in the world of illusion, or a red pill  
149:21
to enter a painful reality where he is  conscious of the existence of the Matrix.  
149:26
Captioned with "what if I told you..." it is ,usually  followed by a ridiculous, petty revelation.  
149:33
Tired of the misuse of the Matrix references by  Trump supporters and Alt-Right conspiracy groups,  
149:38
Lilly Wachowski slammed both Ivanka Trump and Elon  Musk via Twitter. The film is pointing at something  
149:44
we could say ironically is a problem that stems  from that which supremacists are supporting.  
149:50
This is because without a proactive will toward  consciousness, the programming of the Matrix is  
149:57
invisibilized even to the agents who extend its  goals, formats, and logic. I support reclaiming these  
150:03
references for decoloniality from supremacist  ideology pushed by the agents who are "everyone  
150:09
and they are no one". Anyone who is not "unplugged" or  conscious of the history of power in its contexts  
150:16
is potentially an agent. In August 2020, Wachowski  said the Matrix is an allegory for trans identity  
150:24
and because of this reason, it is also about our  current context in coloniality and the matrix of  
150:29
power which continue to make transphobia, racism,  sexism, ableism, and all other -isms and phobias  
150:37
possible. Peruvian sociologist political theorist  Anibal Quijano Obregón warned us of the existence  
150:44
of a Matrix of Power. His perspective comes  from a lineage of decolonial resistance work  
150:49
in support of Indigenous farm workers, student,  and working class movements while based on the  
150:54
ideas of Peruvian journalist, activist José Carlos Mariategui La Chira, who Quijano credits as one of the first  
151:01
critics to become unplugged from the matrix of  colonial power in the Americas, which leaked beyond  
151:06
colonial institutions, infecting world systems  and even our very own existence. The red pill,  
151:12
or the consciousness Mariategui and Quijano share  with the world, stems from an indigenous decolonial  
151:18
perspective on the current world system. In his  1991 article, "Coloniality and Modernity/Rationality",  
151:25
Quijano states, "With the conquest of the  societies and the cultures which inhabit  
151:30
what today is called Latin America, began the  constitution of a new world order, culminating,  
151:36
500 years later, into a global power covering the  entire planet." The coloniality of power constitutes  
151:43
a matrix of methods and patterns of power embedded  in our world system and made possible by racial  
151:49
and revamped gender discriminations marked  during the colonization of the Americas.  
151:55
Quijano explains Colonialism established direct political,  social, and cultural European domination over the  
152:01
conquered of all continents. With the world's  resources brutally concentrated and exploited,  
152:07
and people forced into slave labor for the benefit  of a European minority of the human species  
152:12
particularly its most dominant classes.  The marginality experienced by those most  
152:18
impacted by colonization in their lands and in  the diasporas into the so-called "First World"  
152:23
doesn't grow from within our identities, cultures,  or races and ethnicities, we're actually dealing  
152:29
with the long-term effects of colonialism as we  resist their continuation as coloniality of power,  
152:35
the matrix. Colonial discriminations based on race  incorporated previous gender-based discriminations.  
152:43
A cishet white woman became superior to a  cishet man of any other race, and any cishet  
152:48
man became superior to any cishet woman of  color. A format of hierarchical and binary thinking  
152:54
and doing was imposed and generated even more  hierarchies and sub-categorizations of sexuality,  
153:01
physical and mental abilities, social class,  spirituality and much more. These constructions  
153:07
were widely spread by pseudo-science, presenting  lies as objective categories with a supposed   
153:13
ahistorical meaning and not as the result of the  history of power. Quijano explains coloniality  
153:20
of power has multiple dimensions and they  are inseparable. "Coloniality was the result  
153:25
of colonialism's systematic repression of  the specific beliefs, ideas images, symbols, or  
153:31
knowledges that were worthless to global colonial  domination, while simultaneously the colonizers  
153:37
appropriated that which supported domination:  knowledge in mining, agriculture, engineering  
153:43
products, and physical labor through the  dehumanization of people to flesh; bodies for all  
153:49
forms of enslavement." Downtown LA offers overpriced,  decontextualized squeezed juice/kombucha from a  
153:57
hipster where there used to be a family-owned  culturally specific frutería. Gentrification  
154:02
is justified by the matrix. The value of beings,  their culture and community are worthless  
154:08
and only the parts that are beneficial to  domination of individualist capitalist goals are  
154:13
appropriated. The myth of modernity centers on the  Western Eurocentric take on what defines progress  
154:19
in an imposed rigged competition. Supposedly"  all other countries are simply "developing"  
154:25
or "failing". Argentinian philosopher Enrique Dussell  explains that the violence generated by the myth  
154:31
of modernity is what is really irrational. In the  name of "progress", dehumanization, robbery, and murder  
154:38
are justified. Imagine I took over the world and  established that if you live differently, you're  
154:44
just not developing at such an advanced rate as I  am, and I use this as evidence that I'm organically  
154:50
superior to you, and also that for progress  it's okay to kill you and take your things.  
154:56
Why would this ever be okay? And more hidden  is what is and what counts as knowledge and  
155:02
how it should be made, collected, and shared and  this has been defined by institutions but also  
155:08
by individual Agents. During colonial times, "the  repression was imposed more than anything else  
155:13
on the ways of knowing, of producing knowledge, of  creating perspectives, images and image systems,  
155:19
symbols, modes of signification; over the resources,  patterns, and instruments of formalized and  
155:25
objectivized expression, intellectual or visual."  Dominant content and patterns were imposed  
155:31
which stopped cultural production of the dominated  and were used as a method to control when  
155:37
oppression and murder could no longer be so bold.  The few colonized who were educated, religiously  
155:43
and secularly, were given perks of power in  exchange for them serving as agents of supremacy.  
155:49
Hierarchical and binary ways of thinking and doing  were widespread through tools such as mass media.  
155:56
While entertained we are programmed to formats and  ways of doing coloniality. The promise of access  
156:01
to power seduces into becoming a willful agent  of the matrix, aspiring to advance and progress  
156:07
within the confines of the system, no matter  the cost. Yet, imposing the logic of coloniality  
156:13
onto others and enforcing its hierarchical  stratification is like pissing into the wind.  
156:19
In Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Paulo Freire explains  that those who support the colonization of  
156:24
the imaginary and follow it blindly are  nothing more than oppressed oppressors.  
156:31
Stuart Hall explains how the media reflects a  "matrix" reality that is fed while it feeds the  
156:36
dominant culture order through conceptual maps  of meaning, or the ways we organize, classify, and  
156:42
represent to construct meanings within culture. In  her video series Culture Transformation, cultural  
156:48
theorist Bell Hooks explains how this logic is  embedded in the way people, and particularly women  
156:54
of color, are negatively portrayed in popular media,  how it is normalized, and the effects that this has  
157:00
on the way our society engages in and reacts to  violent racial and gender injustice. The matrix  
157:06
is enacted through the logic which is embedded in  our personal expressions, our ways of thinking and  
157:11
seeing the world, in doing in life. As part of the  five percent combined total of Brown, Black, and  
157:17
Indigenous women professors who have painfully  achieved tenure in academia across the U.S.,
157:22
I want to share some observations. As a transfronteriza, I grew up on both sides of the U.S. and Mexico  
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border. Perpetually crossing borders demystified  them. They're nothing but tools of dehumanization  
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and monuments to binary and hierarchical  thinking, upholding the logic of coloniality.  
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Borders are interdimensional, also existing at the  level of education. As an artist, teacher, and mentor  
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i expand the reach of my work as a proponent, a  trans-historical and multi-dimensional translator,  
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connector, and projector of the colonial liberation  ideas, philosophies, theories, using culture and pop  
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culture, among other things. And I do this in a  personal, divergent, and transdisciplinary way,  
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going beyond the limitations of all disciplines.  I have been trained in, and continue to learn  
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new ones, inventing new ways, taking and remixing  elements for what is required to produce knowledge  
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in a transfronteriza way, from the in between and  from a transgressional stance across all borders.  
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Things seem to be shifting in terms of what is  epistemologically acceptable, that is, the methods,  
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validity, and scope of what knowledge is and can  be. Still, one is often forced to assimilate to  
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predetermined formats and content if we want to be  good "enough". If one does not produce knowledge and  
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formats that our colleagues deem as valuable,  our work, even if it's genius, does not count.  
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We cannot be promoted to the next levels  of professorship when this happens.  
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Agents to supremacy bully others into abiding by  the logic of coloniality, so resistance must be  
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ingenious. And I do this in honor of a legacy of  resistance to coloniality, just as my relations  
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have done for over 600 generations at the  border. I am nomadic by inheritance, a resident  
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of what feminist Chicana fronteriza Gloria Anzaldúa called Nepantla, a time, a space, a state of mind, a  
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will and power that emanates from the in-between.  My being leads me to produce knowledge across  
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diverse platforms through rasquachismo, new media  art explorations, ethnographic non-research,  
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and community-centered storytelling through  art production, inside and outside of academia.  
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The logic of coloniality exists in everyday life,  actions, words, forms of communication. People can  
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unknowingly be agents to supremacy in the service  of their own domination and the one way of seeing  
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and doing over all other possible forms. This  limiting perspective is an obsession on sameness  
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and repetitive formats that extend to defining  the very right to exist. This is why, in schools,  
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many students appear to be disinterested or don't  engage in the materials, because the very format  
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of how and what is shared is reminiscent of  the attempts to erase us. They can be a form  
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of violence. Only validating and valuing what we  know about and are familiar with, results in the  
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interruption of difference and innovation and  the subjugation of the work, at its worst it has  
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materialized in the assassination of people who  tried to unplug us from the matrix of supremacy.  
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If someone has ever called you racist or phobic,  and you believe they deserve to be punished for it,  
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you may be experiencing cognitive dissonance,  coined by social psychologist Leon Festinger, when  
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we hold contradictory beliefs ideas or values, some  of the most powerful agents are the fake allies  
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who continue to refuse to listen and impose their  forms of support which actually can do more damage.  
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Even those who follow marginalized disciplines  of resistance can impose the logic of coloniality  
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when they refuse to recognize unique methods of  knowledge production that quote others who they  
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have not read and which are based on experiences  and perspectives that are even more invisibleized.  
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Even some critical work cannot escape this matrix  because of the trauma that it provokes us to  
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function and the repressed memories of having to  somehow kill a part of ourselves to be validated.  
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In the Decolonial Imaginary, Chicana theorist  Emma Perez points out how few have proved that  
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assimilation is also a tactic, "an interstitial  move for survival... racism and discrimination  
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compel those new cultural survivors to be as  creative as possible as they move through power."  
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This survival may be blinding, and after all the  complex inner workings of trauma and its effects  
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on memory and the ego make internalization  possible. Speaking of the fragility of memory,  
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Morpheus never says the words "what if I told you"  in the Matrix film series, and for a collective  
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of people to remember something that never  happened is referred to as "The Mandela Effect".  
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According to psychologist Frederick Bartlett  they are derived from "schema driven errors",  
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from formats in which we "logically" organize and  guide our memory. Schemas facilitate understanding  
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of material, but because they're filtered through  what we think is universally logical, they can  
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easily be distorted. So what if I told you the  ridiculous petty revelation is that you may  
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well be the everyone which is no one? We ignore  many things that did happen, important aspects of  
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human history and knowledge have and continue to  be hidden from us. Ignorance and confusion uphold  
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the continuously updated 500 year-old Matrix  of Power and it emboldens the Agents, those who  
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are enacting an artificial intelligence, a made-up  and complete collection of knowledge and history,  
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of which conspiracy theories are an extreme,  sometimes unconsciously, at others unconsciously,  
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yet maintaining the matrix. To those who feel  "uncomfortable", sacrifice your imaginary comfort  
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to shift human consciousness. Learn the hidden  context of our human experience for the hope  
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and possibility of less hate, less pain. Protect  our planet and human lives. To those Agents who  
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unapologetically uphold supremacy, as Neo says,  "I know that you're afraid. You're afraid of us,  
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you're afraid of change. I didn't come  here to tell you how this is going to end,  
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I came here to tell you how this is going to  begin." And I will leave you with a few of my  
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words. Perhaps you're angry about the exposure and  want to gaslight the world and tell everyone that  
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people like me are the bullies. And I'm sure  you have plenty of questions and are longing  
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for me to do all the work for you, but no. Instead,  imagine all of our questions, echoing thousands of  
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intergenerational voices beyond the dimensions of  life and death. Oh, you cannot imagine our questions?  
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Then make it a point to learn our questions.  Do the work. The choice can be yours.  
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To those who long for liberation, please  excuse me. I am aware that my language and  
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expression has become limited by my academic  formation, the struggle is ongoing. Finally,  
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I want to share that I'm wearing a Chinanteca huipil from Oaxaca, representing the passage  
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of the chinanteca woman from life to death. I  want to thank the families in Oaxaca who are  
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passing on knowledge in traditional indigenous  formats and ways and sharing them with the world.  
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And finally, to all the people in  the struggle, we define the future.