Local Stories, by Shoutout DFW
We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. ET and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Dr. ET, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
When it comes to the factor to my success and the success of my brand, I have to rely on not just one factor, but two. One factor is trust, and the other one is building relationships. For me, these two factors are crucial. We can’t build relationships without trust. When I think of trust, I focus on five important elements. My clients can trust that I am an expert in the field, they can trust that I am dependable, innovative, highly in tune with their specific goals and needs, and recognize that my commitment to excellence surpasses expectations. Once my clients realize that these five components exist, we are able to create a professional relationship built on trust. When people hire Dr.ET & Company, they know and understand without a shadow of a doubt that they will receive the best professional development which is supported by innovation, fun, empowering moments of transformation, and research based techniques.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
What sets me apart from the rest is that I have a variety of lived experiences which have impacted my life as an educator. I am an immigrant, I learned English when I was 7 years old, I was a transnational student most of my life. Eventually, I failed high school, and that was an awakening moment in my life. I served in the United States Army Reserves for six years, and I have lived through trauma and tragedy in my life. As a researcher, my work revolved around border violence, and the perceptions teachers have regarding immigrant students. I am a self-taught educational tech. I am an author, and my guide “Teaching in the Time of Covid: A Social Emotional Toolkit for Teachers” made the top 100 list on Amazon for Crisis Management. Culture and language are very important to me. I am also a mother of five amazing kids, half of who are successful adults, a grandmother for the first time, wife, daughter, sister, and friend. It is due to all of my experiences that I am able to connect with my participants at a different level. I am a natural story teller, so I share my lived experience and connect it to learning. This all goes back to trust, and relationships. I love to empower others in all areas of technology, social emotional well being, and self-efficacy. Starting my own company was NOT easy. I know people see me on social media and think that this success happened in 24 hours. They don’t know that for over 20 years I would offer pro bono sessions. Or how I was rejected a million times. They don’t know that I started presenting to participants when I was only 7 years old. My teacher would get me to speak to parents in Spanish at PTA Meetings. Or Pennsylvania, how my professor would ask me to speak to college students about my culture and language.
I opened my company on March of 2020-the day Covid shut us down. Everyone was calling me, basically asking why I would leave such a great job at the region level during a pandemic. This was a scary time. Eventhough my husband was very supportive, and had planned for the worse, I still felt scared. I wanted to continue contributing to the world of education, but now I had no way of doing that from the outside.
What I started doing was using my technology tools to keep me busy. I started to write my books, and started to offer free sessions online. I also prayed a lot and trusted God. I continued with my free sessions in the evenings. At one point I had people logging in from all parts of the world for my free zooms. It started with two participants, and then I would end up with 100. Then eventually, one day, districts started to call me to support them virtually. Now, I have to schedule organizations months in advance, because I am always booked. The one talent that I have, is that I never give up.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love this questions!! Well, I live in La Frontera. This is the Border between Texas and Mexico. First of all, I would take my friend to Nana’s Taqueria, which is an authentic taco place in WESLACO!! We would have an amazing time, and also purchase some beautiful hand made jewelry and clothes. Another favorite place for me is Happiness cupcakes. I go there at least once a week to buy “UNbirthday cakes.” Then, I would take my friend to see the border wall, which can best be seen from Brownsville. There is a specific area where you can walk to, touch it, and see it. Then, we would drive off to South Padre Island which is about an hour from Weslaco. We would walk the beach barefoot!
During the days that we had left, I would also take my friend to the famous “pulgas” which are found everywhere here in the valley. I love to be around Spanish language and culture. Something that connects me to my roots.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I am absolutely grateful for the districts that had enough trust to hire me during my company’s first year. Although I have over 20 years experience, my company was brand new. Districts such as San Benito CISD, Hidalgo ISD, Edinburgh CISD, Weslaco ISD, and Harlingen CISD were the very first to hire me as a consultant for their districts. Now, almost two years later I have empowered over 50 districts or organizations in the State of Texas.
Website: dretandcompany.org
Instagram: dretontheborder
Twitter: @dretontheborder
Facebook: dretontheborder
Youtube: dretontheborder
Other: Tik Tok dretontheborder1
Image Credits Mario Sarmiento Photography
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