Dr. Jo's Block Busting Story
Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, during the Civil Rights Movement, when the restrooms and water fountains were still segregated, I busted through numerous cultural blocks to become a premier expert in cross-cultural communication. I am the daughter of a migrant worker, a first-generation Hispanic, and the only one of four children to live past childhood. Because I hated being so poor, I recall asking my father “Dad, what do I have to do so I don’t have be so poor forever?” He told me, “Get an education.” Thus, began my journey into education and lifelong learning.
As a teenager in San Antonio, I challenged the administration of a private girls' school to reverse my assignment to a track of classes well below my achievement level. This was my first cross-cultural experience where I advocated from myself, by myself and succeeded. Have you ever been marginalized, denied a promotion or given project assignments well below your education or experience? Discover how I busted through the blocks placed by the Sisters of Incarnate Word in the first chapter of my book, Getting Across...Your Message, Your Ideas, Your Meaning.
Barely 18 and reeling from my mother's death, I applied for a summer job to earn tuition for fall classes. My first interview with a finance company required a placement test. Imagine my surprise when the office manager stopped me before I completed the math section, saying “Time's up,” when he'd never even mentioned it was a timed test. I felt tricked so I challenged the office manager. He simply said, "You failed the test, and taking it over won't improve your score." Maybe you’ve experienced starting a new job where there are unwritten and unspoken rules you don’t know about that sabotaged your success.
"How can I fail a simple arithmetic test when I've passed college calculus and physics?" I asked. He ignored me and walked away. It didn't take me long to realize I had just experienced another cultural block –my first incident of job discrimination.
After receiving our undergraduate degrees, my former husband and I moved to rural county in Maryland. Not only could I not get hired in Frederick, we couldn’t find anyone to rent to us. It was a very depressing time for me. After 2 years I found a professional position and soon experienced getting passed over for promotions. I decided to obtain additional degrees figuring if I was more educated than my competition and worked harder, how could I be overlooked.
Quickly I discovered I needed more than a superior education to move ahead—I needed the ability to communicate with people who were from different cultures than I and to do so convincingly and persuasively.
As I gained cross-cultural communication skills, my success soared. I was the first Hispanic professor at Montgomery College and the first Latina The American University offered a full scholarship to for a Ph.D. In my keynote speeches and seminars, I share the lessons I learned getting across the myriad of blocks in my life.
As a result of my cultural heritage and the challenges I experienced in my early life and later in my career, I’ve focused my research, book, articles and training seminars on bridging the communications gap among Anglo Americans, African Americans, Hispanics, Asians and women to increase understanding, cooperation, success and productivity.
Today, I am a professional speaker and the only Latina Ph.D. in the National Speakers Association.
