The Route 66 Tour made its first pit stop in Los Angeles at the UCLA NSCS Induction. 150 students and their parents filled the Kerckhoff Grand Salon. It felt so good to be back at my alma mater and to do a trial run of the presentation. When I made the call to action at the end of the presentation, almost every student stood up signifying that they were going to take Route 66.
The tour will officially begin at UCLA in January and we hope to fill Ackerman Grand Ballroom. Route 66 actually ends in Los Angeles, which is symbolic of our journey backwards to when a college degree was valuable and the focused on making sure students developed holistically. Today, a college degree has become commodity.
Today, I lead my Driving School for Life course. This is the second road trip in UCLA. It was one of the most powerful road trips I’ve ever lead. I’ve officially issued 190 licenses to live now. Sunday is a day to relax. Considering that I spend 5 years of my life in LA (3 as an undergrad and 2 as director of a non-profit), I have plenty of people to see including my little brothers.
I’m headed back to New York on Continental on Monday night. I’m going to review the video (soon to be posted), make adjustments, and continue to rehearse until the presentation is perfect. Overall, I felt great and I can’t wait until the tour starts.
Here’s an email I got on Monday from a parent in attendance:
| Jullien Gordon, I was glad to meet you in person last Friday evening at your presentation to the UCLA NSCS students and parents. As a parent of a Sophomore attendee (Engineering Department), I was impressed by your words of challenge and also words of warning. A degree alone will not be sufficient for my son who is striving for excellence in his career path. Your Route 66 method of learning, mentoring, connecting, networking to peers and alumni, and stepping out into areas of non-comfort was fresh and seems to be a great way to approach these years of university. As you are aware, these steps could be used (should be used) by students and parents alike. Well done and well presented, Jullien. Thank you again for your clarity of design and your care for the subject. Please feel free to contact me anytime and please share my comments as you see fit. Randall Brown |
