Castellanos 1

Enrique Castellanos

Professor Tubbs

Engl 1301-190

October 9, 2019

Profile Essay

Henry Rufus Castellanos was a carefree 18-year-old who viewed his education in a necessary

yet laissez-faire manner. His first life tribulation came to him in the form of becoming a father at

such a young age. Despite dropping out of high school to take care of his new family, he

managed through perseverance and a grit mindset to obtain his G.E.D. He then moved on to get a

certification to be a nursing assistant. His dreams were big, but his drive was stronger. A drive

that led him to further his education and enhance his relationship with academia. Overcoming the

trials and tribulations that life shot at him helped him realize that his drive would help him

overcome any obstacles that dare block his path to a successful and educated life.

As this story begins in the suburbs of Chicago, my father was faced with not only his personal

tribulations but also the environmental influences that the suburbs offer. Coming from a family

of eight, you can say that at times, resources were stretched. Although he did not see this as a bad

situation, it was not what my father wanted for his future. He began to see how the educated

people in his family were less financially stressed and more involved with activities that they

wanted to do. This concept lingered as he took a couple of different odd jobs to support his

family, as some of the members of his family chose to do also. It was not until he started

working in internal medicine that he acknowledged his educational potential. As most careers

begin at the bottom, Henry also worked his way into rolls of leadership with only a drive to be
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better. No longer would his academic potential lay dormant for it was here that he met his

calling.

Leadership is definitely not for everyone. As a matter of fact, I am sure that we all have at

least one person that comes to mind when you think of an unseasoned leader. Don’t get me

wrong; leadership roles are among the most stressful and time-consuming jobs that a person can

have. So why would my father even be interested in obtaining such responsibilities? If you asked

him yourself, he would tell you that there is a sense of belonging and higher calling associated

with these types of positions. Leaders often display characteristics of high integrity, resilience,

and excellent judgment. These were all traits that my father acquired through personal life

experiences and through the guidance of his devoted catholic mother. Although his mother set

the foundational steps for his success, Lauri, his mentor, helped him take the first steps to his

professional career.

Not surprisingly, my father’s first career choice was not in a position in leadership.

Unexpectedly he aspired to be a surgical technician. He got as far as being excepted into a

surgical technician program until he expressed his excitement to his mentor. She told him, “you

don’t belong behind the mask; you belong in front of it.” After having her response engraved

into his psyche, he pondered what his next step would be. In retrospect, he shared a dream that

he had to someone that he respected and looked to for guidance. And she just shot down his

dream. After careful consideration, he chose to run with her idea and accepted all the struggles

that the field has to offer. Of course, no one likes being told that their personal decisions might

be wrong. However, with due diligence and an open mind, he found that being openminded can

take you a long way.

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In our interview, he extrapolated his past experiences and came to the conclusion that

leadership is his God-given calling. He found out while in the peak of his process improvement

position that persistent communication with his physicians is what differentiated him from the

other leaders with the same responsibilities. Lack of communication in the medical field is a

considerable obstacle that Henry faced head-on when accepting the duties of his job. His

emotions were rattled, and his patience was tested, but it was his stubborn drive for reform that

he did not give up. Class after class, Henry added to his arsenal of communication skills and left

lasting impressions on individuals in his field. It is important to add that he did all of this while

also juggling the duties that come with having a family. He is now known to his peers as the man

with the plan and execution strategies to fix any problem.

It comes without being said that life is significantly better when you educate yourself to a

degree in which your opinionated statements matter. That is exactly what my father did, and I

can not be any prouder than I already am. When a physician questioned my father’s credibility

on how he thought they should lead their team, he had answers and receipts to back up his

suggestions. To this day, my father is still in school; he enrolled in a graduate program not only

for his career but to fulfill his interest in education. I sometimes wonder what if my dad did not

have the drive, leadership skills, or patience that he learned? To answer my own question, I look

no further than my own father and understand the importance of never giving up and educating

myself a level of self-adequacy.