Good evening, fellow Toastmasters and guests.
My name is Ismael. I'm from a place you might not know: the northeast of Guanajuato, the most marginalized area of the state. I was born in San Luis de la Paz, the last stronghold of the Uza or Chichimeca people, and grew up in a little town nearby, Doctor Mora, the youngest municipality of the state, nestled between Dolores Hidalgo and San Miguel de Allende, the very cradles of Mexico’s Independence. To the north, we're bordered by the Sierra Gorda, a rugged natural refuge that allowed the last Cristero rebels to prolong their war throughout the 1930s.
I grew up on my father’s dairy ranch, where my closest companions were my dogs and my rabbits... and my books. My mother, tired of reading the same Spider-Man comics to me over and over again, decided to teach me to read at the age of four. I've been a constant reader ever since.
I went to the University of Guanajuato and took classes in that iconic building with the grand staircase featured on the one thousand-peso bill. As a college student, I witnessed five Cervantino Festivals and got to know the city’s alleys better than any tour guide. I know them inside out, day and night, sober and drunk.
After some wandering, knowing my country, and other countries, I made the decision to return to my studies. Despite my resistance to big cities, I moved to Mexico City to pursue a master, and eventually a doctoral degree, at El Colegio de México. Today, I'm still struggling with my doctoral dissertation and simultaneously working as an advisor. It’s a job that has taught me as great deal about human nature as it has about bureaucracy, and I say this in a good sense.
The Mexico City is, by definition, immense—its population, its scale, everything about it is overwhelming. Here, only time seems to shrink. We are always in hurry and we are always late. I’m drawn to urban exploration, seeking out the places I’ve read about or seen in films—like that elevator of the Grand Hotel, that James Bond takes in the movie Spectre, or walking down Tacuba Street, retracing the Spanish retreat during the Noche Triste, five hundred years ago.
In this vast city, I’ve found that no matter what your interests are, you can always find people who share them. I’ve taken up new passions, like Tai Chi, to counterbalance those long hours sitting in front of a computer, and got back to some old hobbies, like archery, which I practice at the National University alongside international champions. Their skill and generosity remind me that excellence and kindness usually go hand in hand.
That brings me to why I am here tonight. I joined Toastmasters to improve my communication skills, overcome my nervousness, and structure my thoughts more effectively. What I found was so much more than that. I've learned from the generosity of every evaluation, the wisdom of every piece of advice, and the enthusiasm of every speech.
Despite seeming so structured or rigid, the meetings fly by, and each one is another step on my journey to becoming a more confident and eloquent communicator. Thank you for what you've already taught me, and more than that, for what I know I will learn from you.
Thank you very much. Back to you, General Evaluator.
