Believe Symposium Aims To Motivate Students

More than 400 high school students gathered at Hauppauge's Hyatt Regency to learn and be inspired by the career possibilities available on Long Island.

The Believe Symposium connected aspiring high school students from 11 Suffolk and Nassau districts with Long Island business professional to network, connect and shed light on pathways to personal success. The event was designed by Long Island Elite, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering growth and development of Long Island's business professionals under 40.

"I want them to believe that anything is possible here on Long Island," said Dawn Strain, founder and president of Long Island Elite.

Students attended a morning keynote speech by Craig Pinto, a professional indoor football player who holds the Guiness World Record for most field-goals kicked to raise awareness of Celiac disease. They then broke into smaller groups to work with individual mentors.

Marie Varela, assistant director of pharmacy at Stony Brook University Hospital,was one of over 50 business professionals to share her success story with students. She told students how her parents as blue-collar workers, a truck driver and seamstress, had limited resources to help pay for her to attend college even though she was not the most dedicated student. 

"If you can figure out how to motivate yourself, it's probably the best thing you can learn," Varela said.

Rahsheem Slaughter, owner of Breakthrough To Fitness, had a personal story of overcoming a physical disability, born lacking a hamstring and quadriceps, to become a successful athlete.

"The 6 inches between your ears it what is going to dictate if you are successful or not," Slaughter said.

He was a successful high school and collegiate wrestler, and has won second place in a National Body Building contest. Slaughter's desire to play sports and be physical fit lead to him opening his own fitness studio, which is now expanding to a second location.

After hearing these personal stories, students were given workbooks in which to draft out their thoughts, motivations and ideas for the future. 

Alexis Mello, a senior at W.T. Clark High School in East Meadow, attended the event knowing she wanted to focus on mergers and acquisitions in international business.

"I've always had a clear head about what I want to do in the future This is giving me a broader scope," Mello said. "I'm inspired to keep going after that dream."

Meanwhile senior Anthony Sceusa of William Floyd High School had a goal in mind, to become a Suffolk County police officer, but took a different lesson.

"In a lifetime, you'll make mistakes. If you don't make mistakes, you'll never learn," Sceusa said.

Strain said she hopes to hold another symposium next year, although the event was two years in planning.

"Everyone thought this would never happen, it was too big or simply too much," she said.

The Believe Symposium was created after its own motto, to keep believe in the possibility of a dream happening, and never giving up.