Laura Rizo didn’t waste any time engaging Western Nevada College students, faculty and staff during her motivational presentation on Tuesday morning. The CoolSpeak representative grouped attendees and put them on the spot by having them sing.

Rizo’s interactive speech, “Hero’s Journey: Finding the Greatness Inside You,” kept attendees riveted for more than two hours in Marlette Hall.

The former teacher and school counselor shared her own struggles from earlier in life that delayed her from reaching the best version of herself: an absent father, poverty, partying and depression. But the Rizo Speaks Life presenter made the College Readiness Education for Students in Transition (CREST) event more about the people in front of her.

“People are going to love you for who you are, not what you like. Be your authentic self,” she urged. “Find greatness by just being me. Becoming your own person so you don’t have to listen to what people say about you or what you can’t do.”

Not only did students and staff sing songs with the words “Greatness” and “Hero” in them, they shared some of the villains and heroes in their lives. Rizo did stop short of having attendees dance, even though she teased that form of expression was coming at the end of the event.

She also paired them up so they could share their personal strategies and experiences of what makes them feel better about themselves. Rizo shared the acronym HERO to impart self-confidence and self-worth.

• I will HEAL my heart.
• I will ENCOURAGE myself.
• I will RAISE my expectations.
• I will OVERCOME my villains.

“You have the resources and strategies to be the best, authentic version of yourself no matter what,” she said. “The hero’s journey is finding the greatness inside you. You’re loved, you’re valued and you can overcome.”

Even the blue T-shirt Rizo wore illustrated her conviction and commitment to self-worth: Positive headlined the shirt, with the words Mind, Vibes and Life printed below it.

"It was a great event overall for both students and staff," said WNC Disability Support Services Director Susan Trist. "I thought Rizo's passion and enthusiasm was contagious, leaving us all feeling empowered and ready to take on new challenges. I appreciated how she provided practical, actionable advice that attendees can start implementing immediately."

For people who are experiencing depression, she put a positive spin on it.

“It’s a state of mind: I’m not depressed, but I’m going through depression and I’m going to overcome it,” she said.

Rizo encouraged them to give compliments to make others smile.

“You never know how quickly you can put a smile on someone’s face,” Rizo said.

Like many of the people in Marlette Hall on Tuesday, Rizo still is a student. She is a doctoral candidate at National University. She inspired them to believe in themselves so they can reach their own dreams.

“You can do anything you want to do as long as you have a support system, most importantly your own support of yourself,” Rizo said.