PINK SMOOTHIE'S THOUGHTS

You can be Remarkable in Life, Too!

---

---

Hi everyone! Welcome to another post of Pink Smoothie’s Thoughts! So, today I’ll be sharing my thoughts on my virtual meetings with Remarkable People.  OK, let’s go back in time…

I met Dr. Bob Seney, through a virtual meeting.  He mainly talked about the kind of books he likes to read, and some YA book recommendations (I bought Everything, Everything from Amazon and now read it, thanks to him).  I was really surprised when I found out that he does these virtual meetings so gifted readers can read books that are interesting (not boring at all) and customized for them.

​He talked nonstop about Nicola Yoon, which happens to be one of my all-time favorite authors and admired how beautiful and imaginative her writing was.  At first, I was like, “Wait, who in the world is Nicola Yoon?” Then I googled her and then I immediately fell in love with Everything, Everything.  I just had to buy it – the preview on Amazon didn’t satisfy me at the moment, because when Pink Smoothie starts reading something, she can’t stop! (Stay tuned, dear readers, for a book review about Everything, Everything).

Here are some things Mr. Seney (sometimes referred as "The Book Guy"), has experienced.  Dr. Bob Seney is a retired Professor in Gifted Studies from Mississippi University for Women, where he was a member of the faculty for fifteen years.  While at MUW, he served as the Coordinator of Graduate Programs in Education, the major instructor in the Masters if Gifted Studies Program, and the Director of the Mississippi Governor's School.
 
So, he has plenty of experience talking to young, gifted readers about the books they choose. “The Book Guy” is like Dumbledore, a very nice and wise experienced person that really enjoy to share.  The way he spoke to the audience was like all of us were his family – making one comfortable and open to ask questions.

Here the YA Literature books recommended by “The Book Guy”:
-         Everything, Everything (Nicola Yoon)
-         The Sun is Also a Star (Nicola Yoon)
-         Crossover (Kwame Alexander)
-         Two More Titles (Kwame Alexander)
-         The Playbook (Kwame Alexander)
-         Brown Girl Dreaming (Jacqueline Woodson)

The second virtual meeting was hosted by Richard Guerry.  He’s the executive director of IROC2.org, and talked about the dangers of social media, phones, everything electronical.  This really has made me realize that phones really are addictive, and we need to stop checking social media every single second of the day.  I’m OK of only checking social media during the night, but you tell me I have to step away from my laptop for a few hours, I’m a mess.

Mr. Guerry said that safety comes first (yes, that rule applies to everything), and that we should always think that not everyone in this world has… good intentions.  Quoting Sirius Black, ❝We’ve all got light and dark inside us. ❞ And what he said, was true.

​During his time as an executive in the IT field, he encountered the darkest areas of the internet and discovered countless individuals unknowingly being manipulated and schemed.  In 2009, Mr. Guerry left corporate America, and applied his vast experience and knowledge of digital safety to serve as the Executive Director of IROC2.org

So, he has a lot of experience – and is making us aware of the dangers the internet possesses.  You can check his speech right here:

---

The third virtual meeting was hosted by Dr. Christopher Bell, and it was really inspiring, since he wrote books about Harry Potter and everyone in college told him, “No, you can’t!” but he did it anyway! This, ladies and gentlemen, is a great example of following your dreams, no matter what other people say.  Well, he didn’t exactly study Harry Potter – he studied popular culture.

Dr. Bell is a TED Speakers, a diversity and inclusiveness consultant for Pixar Animation Studios, a 2017 David Letterman Award winning media scholar, and the 2017 Denver Comic Con Popular Culture Educator of the Year.  Recognized nationally for his expertise in the area of children's culture, he serves as the chair of the Southwest Popular/American Culture Association's Harry Potter Studies division.

He works now for Pixar Animation Studios, to modernize toys and make them more diverse.  You see, everyone was doubting that he would become successful.  Like, he went to Ted Speakers and gave an empowering speech about why girls deserve Princess Leia dolls and Marvel girl superheroes – and not boy superheroes only.  Hey, we all deserve dolls to play with too! You can check his speech right here:

I also met this huge person called  Robert Tesdahl, “Rob” for short.  He is one of the chief designers at DreamWorks and has collaborated in movies such as “Home”, “Trolls”, "Spider-Man 3", “Pan's Labyrinth”, and "Kung-Fu Panda".

I had the opportunity to ask Mr. Tesdahl how many hours does it take the process to draw a character perfectly in an animation movie at DreamWorks.  He said that it takes like, about 5 hours to just draw ONE part perfectly.  ONE.  Can you guys imagine how much does it take to draw a whole animation movie?  It would take almost a whole year. And then, add the characters’ voices, edit the credits, add the music, the soundtrack, etc.

These people had absolutely NO idea they would be successful.  Dr. Christopher Bell never imagined that he would get his major on popular culture, never mind working for Pixar.  Dr. Bob Seney, never dreamed with giving other people recommendations or being this huge successful person that is called "The Book Guy".  Richard Guerry never thought being the executive director of IROC2.org and give speeches about why the internet is dangerous and that we should be more cautious.  Robert Tesdahl didn’t know at the beginning that graduating with a major in the robotics/mathematics area would get him to where he is now – working for DreamWorks, one of the biggest animation companies in the world. 

We can be whatever we want to be. So, lay down your phone/laptop/tablet for a while, and start thinking of what you want to be. Okay? Also, don’t let haters let you down! All what their objectives are, are to make you feel discouraged and make you leave the pathway towards your dreams.

These remarkable people never imagined they would be successful – and you my readers, even if you do not plan to be famous, can be remarkable too! I hope that this post inspires you to follow your dreams no matter what people say.

​©2018
​
Pink Smoothie!

---

---

---

---