He grew up in a fatherless home on the mean streets of inner-city Houston. His demons included drugs, skipping school, and disrespecting his teachers and even his mother, because at his core he blamed himself for his father’s departure. He failed the second grade. His love of smoking and stealing with friends of similar desolation led to him skipping most of sixth and seventh grade, and he went on to fail the eighth grade. Ironically, it wasn’t until he physically assaulted his high school basketball coach that he got the break he now wants to give every other young adult like him – or at least, like he was. As a former at-risk youth, he has lived the challenges that he sees in many of the faces he encounters today – succeeding in school, conquering fear, overcoming rejection, staring down negative peer pressure, beating poverty, battling anxiety and depression, and being labeled a sell-out.

 

He is passionate about sharing his experiences that so many others go through. Shaking off the at-risk youth label and replacing it with All-American Collegiate Scholar, Two-Time College Graduate, Certified Teacher, and Certified Behavior Change Specialist is a good start. He believes that society favors the prepared mind and that today’s at-risk youth can be just as successful as anybody else if they truly commit themselves to doing their best and remaining persistent while pursuing their goals and dreams. Gene wants to inspire the youth to stay in school in order to give themselves a chance at a prosperous adult life, and he believes the keys to doing so are education, personal responsibility, attitude, discipline, decisions, perseverance, communication, persistence, and forgiveness. As a Behavior Change Motivational Speaker, he demonstrates practical self-awareness skills and tools through his strategically-crafted keynotes and empowerment workshops to help today’s disadvantaged youth discover how to create a successful future.