Pine Technical College’s students, staff, and faculty had the
opportunity to get to know one another through a three-minute tell-all, no-questions-asked
segment during motivational speaker Ryan Penneau’s presentation Friday, Sept.
6.
Penneau was invited by PTC’s Student Senate to come share his “Take Back
College” philosophy and presentation.
“We’ve seen him at a few MSCSA Conferences and he’s awesome,” noted
Student Senate Advisor Amanda Spencer. “He’s so excited about education and
students.”
Before diving in, Penneau had his audience engage in “get to know you”
activities. “I always like to create some sense of community before we start,”
he informed.
“He really gets the crowd to pay attention,” said PTC student and
Student Senate Treasurer April Sheldon. “He’s super excited about everything,
and that gets us motivated.”
Penneau’s focus was students taking charge of their college career by overcoming
their own mindgames. “I love working with students,” he said of his career. “I
love the potential of what students have in front of them.”
After sharing a few anecdotes in life that has led him to his success
today, Penneau made it clear that he believes every individual has more
potential for themselves than they realize. “Our mind does very powerful things
to us, and I really believe that,” he explained during his presentation. “We
have a preset mind of the way things should be.”
Penneau went on to further stress his belief of challenging oneself. “We
go through life and we get stuck. Why?” he questioned. “The person you are
determines your future.”
Penneau strongly encouraged that students “move beyond the classroom,”
and recommended they join a club or organization that was out of their comfort
zone, such as student government.
To prove his point, Penneau shared his story of when he once interviewed
for an on-campus job as a college student, but did get it, due in part to his
lack of knowledge in the LGTB Organization. After his interview, he joined the
organization.
“I never thought I’d want to join because I’m not LGTB,” he stated, but
he knew if he wasn’t cultured, he’d be irrelevant in the job market.
Penneau is a firm believer in self-awareness; it motivates us; and starts
with thoughts, he stated, and as far as one’s own success goes, Penneau
explained, there is “no formula other than asking questions and working really
hard.”
“The only thing I can do (for students) is plant a seed.”
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