On Platforms and Responsibility

What will you do when you get the call to act?

“It’s time to inspire and transform a generation, André.”

These were the words that echoed in my head back in 2016 while having a discussion about making use of our platforms in life with one of my close mentors. Through the constant push and pull of our lives, it’s easy to lose focus on the actual power we have to move people through our experiences and stories.

And in the Spring of 2016, I was handed a powerful opportunity to do just that.

That year I had the honor of giving the commencement speech at my alma mater, the University of Maryland’s School of Public Health. How amazing is that? Very amazing. Not only was I humbled and honored by the opportunity to share some thoughts with the next generation, but I was also excited to spur them to take action. Here is a profile my School did of me to get my thoughts on the future of public health.

About a month before the commencement event, I was going over the speech in my journal and I was reminded by a close colleague on the importance of telling our stories. Not only is it required to get an audience to latch onto your salient points, but it also made me realize the responsibility we often have to tell them. The responsibility to tell my story around childhood curiosities, personal growth, and career advancement is of utmost importance if I want to actually inspire and transform a generation to not only build the future of health but to understand the opportunities the world has for them.

This, of course, is all the result of aligning with my strengths and actually taking the time to figure that out. More on that soon.

So — now that you’ve been nudged, pushed or even shoved into the realization that you have things to say, share or shout from the rooftops — let’s get to work.

Here’s my 9-minute commence address if you’re curious — let me know what you think: