The Power of Expertise
By: Dr. Alfredo Rivera
The Future Belongs to Experts
In a world rapidly evolving with AI and robotics, one thing remains certain: the people who will thrive are those who develop expertise in something—or know how to identify and utilize expertise. The traditional education system often focuses too much on academics while neglecting essential skills like self-discovery, leadership, and social intelligence.
Every student has an expertise, whether they know it or not. Our job as coaches in the Valley Guardians Executive Leadership Coaching Program is to help students uncover who they are and align their passions with a path that maximizes their happiness and success. Unfortunately, many students struggle because they don’t know their strengths. They focus on memorizing information rather than developing executive function, teamwork, and leadership skills. But true success doesn’t come from knowing a little about everything—it comes from becoming exceptional at something.
Discovering a Talent in the Unlikeliest of Places: Christian’s Story
Christian Cobb’s story is a perfect example of how expertise can transform a student’s life. Before coming to LEADAZ Private School, Christian struggled in his previous public school. He wasn’t
connecting with other students and was slowly falling behind. His mother wanted something different for him and found LEADAZ, a non-traditional private school that shifts the focus from rote memorization and testing to self-discovery and real-world skill-building.
When Christian started at LEADAZ in 7th grade, he was incredibly shy. He barely spoke to anyone. But within two months, he noticed that other students played Super Smash Bros. during breaks. He decided to join in—and something incredible happened. Christian quickly improved at the game, and within six months, he was the best player in the school. This was more than just a hobby; it was his first step toward developing expertise.
From Silent Observer to School Leader
As Christian honed his skills, his confidence grew. He started speaking more and engaging with his peers. He later admitted that he had stayed quiet to observe what other students were into so he could find a way to connect. Super Smash Bros. became his gateway to friendships, self-improvement, and leadership.
LEADAZ hosted three Smash Bros. tournaments that year, and Christian won all three. But his growth wasn’t just about winning—he also developed a mindset of continuous learning. He dedicated extra hours to practice, conducted research to improve his skills, and studied strategies used by top players. By his second year, he had become so dominant that other students could no longer compete with him. But instead of hoarding his success, Christian did something remarkable: he started mentoring others.
Without telling them, he let some students win to build their confidence. He gave them advice on how to improve. Soon, the competition grew stronger, and he had real challengers. Christian had evolved from a shy newcomer into a mentor and leader.
Competing Beyond the School Walls
In 8th grade, one of his instructors discovered a local Harkins Theatre Smash Bros. Tournament and signed up Christian and two other top players. Competing against 60 players, including college students and adults, Christian and his teammates placed in the top 30.
Inspired by this experience, Christian pushed himself even harder. He trained with his school’s best players and returned to the tournament. The second time, they ranked top 15. The third time? Top 10. Against competitors much older and more experienced, Christian and his team kept improving.
Then, an instructor introduced him to PlayVS, a national online esports platform. Christian made varsity and remains undefeated after four games.
The Bigger Lesson: Expertise Translates to Life Success
Christian’s journey isn’t just about video games. The skills he developed—self-motivation, discipline, research, strategy, competition, mentorship, and leadership—are the same skills required to succeed in any career, whether in business, law, engineering, or beyond. The process of finding something you love, becoming great at it, and using it to help others is what creates lifelong success.
Watching Christian grow from a silent observer to the most respected and social student at school has been an incredible transformation. Thanks to the support of the Valley Guardians Executive Leadership Coaching Program, he is learning how to navigate life with confidence. And he’s only in 8th grade—his journey is just beginning.
A Message to Students: Find Your Expertise
If there’s one lesson to take from Christian’s story, it’s this: your most important job is to figure out who you are and develop expertise. It doesn’t matter what the expertise is—it could be gaming, music, coding, storytelling, or anything else. As you master one skill, you build the habits and mindset that will translate to future success.
The future belongs to those who can do something exceptionally well while also being kind, teachable, and great at working with others. Christian Cobb has already taken his first steps toward greatness, and we can’t wait to see what he accomplishes next.
THE VALLEY GUARDIANS LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
The Valley Guardian program is a multiyear coaching program for underserved students in the community. It was created by successful business people in the valley. They got together and formed a non-profit to find ways to fund developmental programs for kids in underserved communities. This program was aimed toward the underserved kids in the valley who have good hearts and have a desire to be successful and be mentored. The kids who are a part of this program have access to all different kinds of services like professional coaches, coaching calls, getaways, leadership education and training workshops, access to professionals in the valley, college and career readiness and more. The Valley Guardian program started with a single school of 6 students, and overtime has grown to 13 schools, 7 districts, and 49 active students. Overall there have been 120 students who have benefited from this program.
The Valley Guardians program offers over thirty online and in person workshops per year. We do many different types of workshops per year including things like arcades, parks, hikes, parties, and online leadership training. Many of the kids who come are not very social and are looking for a place to feel comfortable and be able to meet new people while being themselves. When they come to programs they have a great time. The way we set them up makes kids feel comfortable, whether we ask them what they are interested in doing or set them up to meet new people through social activities at the beginning of each event. The students find they feel connected and accepted through the program.