You have probably heard the quote from Malala Yousafzai that reads: “One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.” I firmly believe in what it says. I came to this world to contribute to that change.

My name is Cynthia Lopez. I was born many years ago in New York. A few years later we moved back to my parent’s country of origin, Venezuela, South America. Where I lived until I was 18 years old. After High School, I moved back to the US and got a bachelor’s in Economics from FIU. I ventured into the world of insurance but I did not feel comfortable despite the fact that financially I was doing well. I was convinced that there had to be something that I could do to contribute to humanity.

One day, I found out that there was a shortage of Math teachers in Dade County. I applied, took some tests, complied with some requisites, and a few months later, I became a Math Teacher at a local High School. I went back to school and got a Master’s degree in Math Education. Today, I am the Math Department Chair and will be leading a Mindfulness program that will be implemented in all the district’s schools. After school hours I dedicate myself to giving private classes (Math Tutoring), which has helped me understand that learning, especially mathematics, is connected to the level of self-esteem that the student has. Most human beings are smart enough to learn it, but they freeze at only the possibility of failure. My job is to observe the student and see what their approach to the problem is. After my observation takes place I love directing the student into seeing their capabilities. I am always showing them how much they already know and how smart they are. This increases their confidence in themselves.

I am also a certified Life Coach and Motivational Speaker. I have designed Personal Growth interactive workshops for adolescents, teens, and young adults under my corporation’s name You Lead Up. Through these interactive workshops, I coach adolescents in the visualization of their life goals and how to create a plan of action to facilitate their achievement. Our mission is to empower teens to fall in love with themselves, communicate more effectively, and make integrity base decisions.

After completing the “Dare” series of workshops, we invite teens to be part of a community of young people whom we will continue to train for them to become trainers.

I finally found my mission in life and I can tell you, who are reading this quasi-biography, that if I were born again I would dedicate myself to the same thing.