Student Success Story: Jason Carvalho
May 19, 2022
As Benjamin Franklin once said, “Energy and persistence conquer all things.” In this leadership spotlight, we wanted to highlight Jason Carvalho for exemplary persistence in pursuit of creating a better life for himself.
Jason came to the program in 2020 when he was a senior at Betty Fairfax High School. He was not entirely sure what he wanted to do after high school but was looking for mentorship and guidance. Jason is unique because he has been diagnosed with high functioning autism which presents various difficulties. Nevertheless, that has not stopped Jason from fully participating at every in-person event and mingling with other students. He is the most consistent and reliable student for all in-person activities in the program!
Through the first year of the program, Jason was able to graduate high school and get accepted to community college. With great ambition to succeed, Jason signed up for a full-time schedule. It proved to be very difficult for him and he was forced to re-evaluate. Through the guidance of the leadership mentoring program, he decided that he would focus more efforts on finding employment. He applied to a company that provides aid to people with mental handicaps. Once hired, Jason proved that he was capable of caring for others and working hard. Through his hard work, Jason realized that he more balance in his life. He wanted to continue working while pursuing an education, so he decided to take a smaller course load. Since then, he has done very well!
Each of the students in the leadership mentoring program are different. Their path to success is unique. And all are progressing at their own level. Today, Jason is doing phenomenal! The program is helping him to have a successful life, even with high functioning autism. He still helps his high school band, was able to save up and buy his dream car, a 2012 Acura TSX. He loves to talk about his car and he’s eager to give rides to his family members.
When Jason and his mom were asked how the program has impacted his life, they had this to say:
“Being in the program has brought me a great deal of gratitude. It has helped me to reorganize my thoughts better, be more organized with my plans for my life, and to boost my confidence. It helped me release old influences in my life which brought me down. It helped me to learn from past situations and to refocus on my life in a more constructive way. Because of leadership coaching program, I can look forward to a brighter future for myself. For all of this, I have the utmost gratitude.” – Jason Carvalho
“Believing in oneself empowers and frees great leaders to discover and live the great gifts that are within themselves. This empowerment can then be transferred to others to whom they lead and serve to achieve their greatest potential. We are capable of so much more than we believe. We are all uniquely different and all have different, unique things to offer the world. These differences and our uniqueness, touch everything and everyone we are around. We must break out of the box of our limited vision of ourselves and thus, life. It is our choice to believe, to give up who we are, to be what we can. His (Jason’s) parents’ divorce and being shoveled back-and-forth between homes, accompanied by depression, PTSD, ADHD, and autism have all affected him and his progression in life. Taking the Valley Guardians Executive Leadership Coaching program has really helped Jason believe more in himself, boosted his confidence, become more organized in his thoughts and his life, and allowed him to endure and strive for higher goals. I have always had high aspirations for my children, but I definitely think that the leadership coaching program has influenced Jason all for the better and has allowed him to believe more in himself and to become a great leader of tomor row.” – Christina Friedrich (Mother)
Both quotes couldn’t have said it better about the value the Valley Guardians Executive Leadership Coaching program has on the lives of young people. The race of life is not run in a day or a year. It takes time and persistence. That is what Jason is up to—to keep moving and progressing. We are very proud of him!
About the Author
Amber Kusek is a success coach intern at the Leadership Society of Arizona