In anticipation of National Hispanic Heritage Month, I was recently recognized as one of New York City’s LatinX “All Stars” by Reel Works Teen Filmmaking for helping to diversify the media landscape through the development of online courses that train and credential rising talent in NYC.
The recognition prompted me to reflect on the experience of having founded LearnThink Media, a non-profit I established with a similar mission and purpose for the youth of Laredo in 2019. As founder and CEO, I led the organization with all of my heart and passion through many obstacles, including COVID-19, with the gracious help of family and many friends in the Laredo community. Sadly, the lack of capital forced a shut down, a closure I took very personally.
LearnThink Media established a Water, Texas Film Camp to educate youth on the importance of water in Texas and to submit the films to Texas Water Foundation’s Water, Texas 6th Annual Film Contest. With support from Rio Grande International Study Center (RGISC), students were educated about The Rio Grande River and thanks to our partnership with Laredo Housing Authority, nine students from low-income housing joined us to create two short films: Galactic Remedy and H2Love.
LearnThink Media’s 2019 Inaugural Youth Vision Film Festival was held at Alamo Drafthouse – Laredo on September 21, 2019 where six short films and 8 stop motion animation shorts were screened in front of an audience of 341 attendees. Visitors from Austin, San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas, Texas joined to honor and celebrate the 41 student participants who made LearnThink Media’s summer camp a success.
A few months ago, I shared the short films created during LearnThink Media’s 2019 summer camp with a friend. He was intrigued at the range of emotions I displayed, as if I’d seen each short film for the first time. “I can see how passionate you are about what you created,” he said to me. “Have you taken the time to mourn?” I was floored. I could not fathom the idea. Mourning meant grieving over something I lost, and while LearnThink Media is no longer “alive,” the passion that I have for entertainment arts still lives within me. I could not lament that night, but the next day I howled in tears. LearnThink Media was my life’s passion, and I failed to live up to my own expectations. However, I took my failure as an opportunity for personal growth and recognized that sometimes success has its own timeline. After much reflection, I know what I could have done differently.
On a recent walk along an Atlantic Ocean beach shore at sunrise, I took a moment to stand in the water, excited to feel the movement of the current. I felt the ocean push and pull as the water ebbed and flowed; and as the waves got higher, I feared that I might get sucked in. Instead of running away to the sandy beach, I faced the waves from a few steps back. It was then that I could truly enjoy the moment with certainty that I would not get my clothes wet. Success.
Life is like the ocean, the water is in constant motion around us. When we’re in the water, there is a level of uncertainty that can bring on a range of emotions such as excitement or even fear. What’s important to understand is that regardless of the constant change around us, reflection gives us an opportunity to navigate the waters so that we can reimagine our path for future success.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in all of this is to remain resilient. Never give up. When you reflect, ask yourself, “What could I have said or done differently that would change the effect of the outcome?” I’ve learned this certainty: never lose sight of what’s important to you. We determine our own destiny, and it starts with committing to that change so you can navigate the waters to your success.
(Native Laredoan Roxanne Peña is a 1997 broadcast journalism graduate of the Vidal M. Treviño School of Communications and Fine Arts. She is the daughter of Reymundo and Bertha T. Peña. She resides in Austin.)
