Meet Juan Lepe, a 19 year alumni of NTLP. Early this year, Juan was interviewed by fellow 1992 alumni, Phil Speer. Juan started his NTLP journey attending his first camp in 1993. Upon graduating high school, he returned to staff for many years, including this past summer. He is a Board Director, generous donor and was most recently elected Treasurer of the Board.
Juan’s Profile
Year attending NTLP: 1993 at Long Beach State, 1994 at UC Santa Barbara. Staff member each summer from 1995-1997, and from 2003-present.
High school: Imperial High in Imperial, California
College: UC Irvine, Bachelor of Science in Information & Computer Science
Favorite Quotes: “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% of how you react to it” – Charles R. Swindoll. “You must be the change you want to see in the world” – Mahatma Gandhi. “In a conversation, do you listen or wait to talk” – Uma Thurman.
Hobbies/Passions: People, Life, Animals (the Zoo is one of my favorite places to visit), Traveling, Live Music, Dancing, Running, Biking, Swimming, Snowboarding, anything active!
What is your current occupation?
I am a Manager of IT Project Coordination. I run the technical project management office for a large credit union in Southern California. I have a passion for people, technology and teaching and this career helps me do all of these.
Tell us about your experience with NTLP. What did you learn at the program that you still remember and use?
Everything! I use it on a daily basis. What NTLP taught me was a sense of how to work with different personalities and different groups, and therefore to be more effective in solving problems. It really helped me hone in on those “soft skills,” which are really hard to quantify. It also gave me a lot of motivation. I wasn’t the best athlete or the best in academics, although I was doing fine in those areas. NTLP gave me the insight that I too could be great, and that it didn’t matter what I was great at. It was great peers, and great speakers who taught me that I can go out there and do anything. So all of the positive energy, I was able to use that in all aspect of my life — work, school, relationships or anything.
Were there any speakers who had a big influence on you?
Juan and Calvin
Gary Zelesky, one of the speakers from my early years as a participant. Here was a very unassuming, in his words, “short, fat, bald guy” who just delivered such a powerful message in a very comedic way that really shaped the way I thought about my own life. As cliché as this may sound, he said that it doesn’t matter how you’re perceived on the outside, it’s what’s on the inside — how you treat people, how you walk through this life — that makes the difference. He talked about a lot of things but that’s what stuck with me. I also remember he told a story about how he took his daughter out on a “date” to show her what it was like to be taken out by a gentleman. He rented a nice Limo, treated her kindly and bought her a nice dinner and in general treated her with the utmost respect. He wanted to lead by example — to show his daughter what she deserved. His last words to her to end the night were, ‘This is how you deserve to be treated’. That set a great example for me. You have to be the change that you want to see, and you have to SHOW that to people. Otherwise they might never know what it looks like. More recently, it’s been Calvin Terrell, an amazingly profound speaker. It’s been very profound for me to hear him in later years in life; I can only imagine how impactful it must be to the teens. He talks about diversity, stereotypes, and how we view and treat one another. It’s very powerful but the funny thing is that it is not a big stretch from what Gary was trying to say, that it really doesn’t matter what is on the outside, we have to learn to work and treat each other with respect and dignity. Calvin just does it in such a way that it can bring you to tears, to laughter and to joy all in one session.
What inspires you to keep coming back to NTLP?
I can’t begin to express how much I personally gain from the program. When I first attend NTLP as a participant, I remember how amazing the staff members were, and that they were my peers. I didn’t realize at the time that they were volunteers. How inspired I was by them — it was almost like a drug, for lack of a better term. It was a feeling of support that I wanted to have constantly to help me through life. Then once I came back and became a staff member, it was that same feeling about tenfold. Being able to have this network of great, diverse people from all walks of life and continually having that positive reinforcement — whether it’s a message about diversity and overcoming challenges, or just simply being able to learn how to work with different types of people — that has kept me coming back over and over again.
You have been a part of NTLP from 1993 through the present. How has the program evolved over the years?
We’ve tried to address different types of issues. The issues that teens were dealing with back in 1993 have definitely evolved, especially with social media and the multitude of different communication points available today. NTLP has evolved in terms of how we address those different issues by providing a diverse set of speakers, new group sessions and new workshops. But, what has stayed constant — and it’s one of the things that I love — is that we have alumni that have stayed dedicated to the program and continue to be involved today. That’s one of the main reasons why we’re still around and why we deliver one of the best leadership programs out there – it is facilitated by a volunteer group of peers.
As a staff member at NTLP, you often take on the essential responsibility for audio-video (a/v) at the camps. Tell us about that.
I’m in the technology field, and I also like to play around with home-entertainment systems. And I play the guitar, so I know enough about the A/V equipment to be able to fiddle with the stuff. It’s very interesting because we don’t always know in advance what is available at each of the different facilities that we use. Laura (Segura, NTLP Executive Director) is always teasing me about my “backup plans” for extra equipment. But things can go wrong and you usually can’t control them, so you need a backup plan – a backup projector, or whatever it may be. I’ve also had the opportunity to work with some great A/V people at the camps who know much more than me, especially when it comes to things like professional boards. So it’s been interesting and I’ve learned a lot.
You mentioned you play the guitar. That’s just one of your many talents. For example, you enjoy salsa dancing, correct?
I do. I actually took some ballroom dancing lessons when I was attending UC Irvine. I grew up dancing so it is part of who I am. Growing up in a Mexican household I vividly remember being young and having opportunities to dance to all different types of music, whether it was at a quinceañera (traditional Mexican 15th birthday party) or any other excuse to have a gathering with friends and family. In college I said, “I should see what it’s like to really learn some of these dances.” In the process I kind of fell in love with salsa & mergenue. I do a little swing dancing as well, and some general basics for other forms of ballroom dancing. At UC Irvine I had the privilege of dancing with a group called the “Paleros”, a very talented Latin dance group of the Pan American Latino Society. I was definitely the weakest link, these dancers were amazing. I’ve kept it up, but not professionally I just do it for fun.
You also love to travel, correct? Tell us about some of your experiences.
I love to travel. Part of the reason is that I love learning about people, culture, food, language, customs and diversity. I definitely like to travel in the U.S. and have been to a bunch of different places around the country, but there’s so much more to see. Spain was my first international trip. I remember going to NTLP that summer at UC Santa Barbara and then going almost straight from there to Spain and then right to my first year of college, what a whirlwind of a summer. Even though I speak the same language as in Spain, it was a different culture. I got to apply NTLP principles about how to relate to others. You learn to observe and listen. I made great friends out there. One of my all-time favorite trips was to Croatia with a group of my best friends. We were able to charter a boat together and go from island to island along the southern Croatian coastline. I also took my mom to Rome, which was one of her dreams. We really enjoyed the food, the wine, the architecture and the history. I have also visited Vietnam and Cambodia which were amazing, wonderful, yet very humbling experiences. I think it is important to know your history so that you can help understand the viewpoint of the diverse people that make up this world we live in.
We also understand that you were on the cheerleading team in college. What was that like?
UC Irvine was not big on common sports, although it is certainly making some strides in Water Polo, Baseball and Volleyball. What we lacked in sports we made up for with an incredible computer science program. Because I wasn’t really a college caliber athlete, I was looking for something to do in an organized way. I participated in intramural sports and enjoyed those, but was looking for something more. I remember my roommate at the time had a crush on this girl who invited him out to cheerleading tryouts. He somehow convinced me to join him and he dragged me along. They were trying to recruit guys because they didn’t have a big program at the time. As reluctant as I was I kind of enjoyed it that first day. I remember thinking, ‘this is much more challenging than I thought’. I also got to learn some gymnastics, which was really fun. I was on the team from 1997 to 1999. In the winter of 1997/1998, I got invited to compete on a local community college’s (Orange Coast College) open division cheerleading team. We went on that winter to win the 1998 National Championship. It was very exciting and rewarding to be on a National Championship team.
Turning back to NTLP, you have been a member of the board of directors for several years now. Why did you decide to make such a big commitment to the organization?
I remember, as I was growing in my professional career, feeling like I could contribute in a different way to the program. I’d been a staff member, but thought that the best way that I could give back and do so in the most professional way was to help advise and fundraise. It’s been a challenge in terms of finding the time and making sure to balance my other responsibilities, but I’ve enjoyed watching the program evolve, and helping to set the foundation for an organization that can sustain itself and continue beyond any of us. Just recently I was elected as Treasurer to our Board of Directors.
You’ve been a part of the program for nearly 20 years. This summer many teens will experience NTLP for the first time. What advice would you give to them?
Don’t have any expectations. Come with an open mind and allow NTLP to do that for you. Know that it’s going to be a life-changing experience but don’t expect it to solve all of your problems. All you literally have to do is show up with an open mind.
Juan is looking forward to being a staff member again this year at an NTLP camp. Juan, who has been very active running marathons, half marathons, bike rides and triathlons since 2007, is also currently training for a half-marathon in Orange County and a century ride in San Diego. Best of luck, Juan!
