Today’s guest was Jeshua Zapata, the Founder and President of Xzito Creative Solutions www.xzito.com, a branding and identity marketing firm specializing in web design and development, search engine optimization and process improvement.   Jeshua’s Xzito team is a dynamic and diverse group of 21st century ‘creatives’ passionate about maximizing their clients’ success through innovative, data driven marketing strategies that increase their clients’ visibility, profitability and ultimate success.  Our Life Skills host today was Ruben Blanco, like Jeshua, a 21st century creative thinker focused on developing his personal brand’s market visibility, profitability and lifetime success.

Ruben Blanco (right) welcomes Jeshua Zapata to Hope High School and exchanges his business card with Jeshua’s outside the classroom prior to today’s class.

Ruben introduces Jeshua to the Life Skills class.

Djovan Devega introduces himself to Jeshua prior to today’s class as well as thanking him for taking time from his busy company to share his story of success.

Chanda Nuth also took time to welcome Jeshua to Hope High Life Skills and thank him for coming.

“Success really comes down to a choice.  

You eventually decide whether or not you wish to do what needs to be done to accomplish your goals and fulfill your dreams”.   Jeshua shared his story of emigration to America at 7 years old from Colombia.   He went on to Central Falls high school and then, with a scholarship, to Bryant University.  “Each step along the way was always accompanied by challenges.  Challenges of fitting in to a new country and speaking very little English.  Moving on to Central Falls high school and trying to fit in with a new group of people and, then, the same thing at Bryant University.”    Jeshua made decisions at each stop to extend himself out of his comfort zone to build a network of new people, “smart, successful people, many of whom were quite different from me but who kept teaching me valuable lessons about life and careers.”   Jeshua spoke about decisions he made about the people in his network.

‘You can tell a lot about who you will become by the people you hang around with‘

Jeshua shares his story with the Life Skills class.

was the adage told him by his mother which he eventually passed along to his younger brother.   Difficult decisions often have to be made about friends.  When friends jeopardize your dreams of success, changes must be made; you must stop hanging with those distracting you from your dreams if you truly want to be successful.  “My transition to college was challenging.  I found myself in class with wealthy students, driving expense cars, wearing the best clothes and not needing a job during school.  I needed a job just to afford college.  I worked each weekend as well as during the week.  And

there was so much reading!   Professors gave us 30 to 40 pages a night to read.   I was taking 5 courses a semester. 

That’s a lot of reading.   I heard Mr Cronin’s homework assignment.  It’s a good one.  You need to start reading a lot, NOW;  it will definitely help when you get to college.  And, after college too.  I read every day in order to keep my business successful.  My customers rely on me to solve their problems and by reading a lot to keep up with all the changes and developments in technology, marketing and business, I am able to do this.  You’ve got to keep reading.  And, practice your writing too.“

There were interesting questions from the Life Skills class about entrepreneurship. “What is it like to start your own business?” Maria Dasilva asked Jeshua.   Jeshua spoke about

the risk he took, getting out of his comfort zone

of working at another company with a guaranteed pay check each week to owning and running his own company and being responsible to pay his employees a pay check every week.  “It really

comes down to doing something in your life you’re passionate about,

being excited to get up every morning to do something you like to do” he said.

The class ended, as it always does with appreciation expressed to the Life Skills guest and, then, time for a Life Skills networking session.

Ayobami Bankole exchanges his business card with Jeshua at the Life Skills networking session.

Valentina Gomez-Rincon examines Jeshua’s business card after giving him her business card.