Today’s guest was Natalie Hogan, a ‘Futurist‘ at Hasbro, the international toy and game company.   Our Life Skills host was Valentina Gomez-Rincon, who welcomed Natalie to Hope High and introduced her to the Life Skills class.

Valentina (right) welcomes Natalie to Hope High School before the start of the Life Skills class

Valentina (right) introduces Natalie, the ‘Futurist From Hasbro‘, to the Life Skills class

Gisabel Salcedo (right) welcomes Natalie to Hope High and the Life Skills class after Valentina’s introduction

Elijah Akindolie welcomes Natalie to today’s Life Skills class as Maria Dasilva waits to do the same.

 What in the world is a ‘futurist‘?

Natalie explained her role at Hasbro.  “I facilitate conversations among smart Hasbro employees to talk about tomorrow!   In other words, I bring creative employees, from engineers to designers, together to talk about what they believe the games and toys people in different parts of the world will be interested in 3 to 5 years in the future”.

Natalie shares her story with the Life Skills class.

What training or college major prepared you to be a ‘futurist’?

“It’s been a series of experiences and education starting with my high school extracurricular activities;  they prepared me for working on group goals and collaborating with others to create plans for reaching those goals.  These activities also taught me leadership skills.  Went to Community College to study ‘glass blowing’.  Then, on to RISD (The Rhode Island School of Design) to study ‘sculpture’.  Along the way, I focused on a personal brand that implied

‘hard working’, ‘responsible’, ‘creative thinker’, willing to go out of my comfort zone

to learn new things and take on new responsibilities.  I was a focused networker, meeting lots of interesting, successful people.  I accepted interesting internships and entry level jobs at places like BetaSpring, an organization that helped entrepreneurs raise money for their fledgling companies and teach them sound business practices.  Then,

I took a chance and applied for a ‘temp’ job at Hasbro.   

Once there, I kept building my brand, networking and applying for jobs that interested me.  This is how I became a ‘futurist’.  All these experiences prepared me for what I’m doing today

adding value to the Hasbro brand. ”

Natalie spoke to the Life Skills class how they can add value to the organizations and companies they may work for.   “So many of you come from different countries and speak multiple languages.   There is value in your unique perspective for companies like Hasbro and CVS that operate and sell their products all over the world.  This is just one way you can add value to any company, college or organization.  How you use this ‘value’ will often determine the opportunities you create for yourself in the future.”

The class concluded with our usual networking time where students exchanged business cards with guests like Natalie.

Fernando Perez extends his hand to begin his networking with Natalie.

Isaac Demola introduces himself to Natalie during the networking session.