We were lucky to catch up with Dr. Robert Renteria recently and have shared our conversation below.
Dr. Robert, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
We have money for wars and can’t feed the poor, we have children, teenagers and adults alike walking around lost in a culture of darkness and I decided to do something about it.
Dr. Robert, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
We have developed a bilingual book series and program that is culturally relevant that address social and emotional learning, helping kids with their critical skills while promoting academic achievement.
The Barrio books and curriculum is now being taught to students in middle schools and high schools across America and in over 25 other countries around the world.
We are making a huge social impact in real time; we have reached over 3.5 million kids worldwide.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Over the past 15 years I have invested about $400,000 in the future of our kids’ education. Many people had told me over the past several years that I was crazy and what I was trying to accomplish could not be done.
My thought was you don’t see what I see and that someone always has to be first at something. Some people walk by sight and others walk by faith,
That being said, the WBC – The World Boxing Council who mentors boys and girls ages 8-18 in over 171 countries around the world just agreed to share the Barrio books and program worldwide.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I was persistent and consistent in my efforts to build my brand and reputation, but the biggest factor was to have character.
That meaning not just doing what’s right when someone is watching but doing the right thing when nobody was watching.
You can’t just talk the talk, but you have to walk the walk.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.fromthebarrio.com
- Instagram: From the Barrio
- Facebook: Robert Renteria
- Linkedin: Robert Renteria
- Other: Google Robert Renteria