>>Narrator: How do I know which path is best for me?

Is it possible to take on these challenges and obstacles?

Where do I even start?

What should I do with my life?

Sometimes, the only way to find is to go see what's possible Since 2001, we've been sharing the stories of people who ventured out and explored different career paths and different possibilities for their futures.

This is one of those stories.

This is Roadtrip Nation.

[MUSIC] >> Jasmin: When people think of Arizona, you think of deserts and dry heat [LAUGH] but when I think of Arizona, I think of hidden gems, those places that you're gonna have an amazing time at.

>> [MUSIC] >> Allisyn: For you guys that are outside of Arizona, it's just a big dust rock or something like that, but like we see all the different things and each city has its own qualities.

>> Ezequias: Definitely, I've been learning a lot more about what's in Arizona, what we can do in Arizona.

The things people are doing in Arizona.

>> [MUSIC] >> Jasmin: What's that for?

>> Ezequias: This, to be honest, I still don't know, I think friction.

I just do it because I feel cool doing it sometimes, you know?

>> Jasmin: Alrighty?

>> Jasmin: That's a fancy technique.

>> Ezequias: So I feel like I'm really comfortable, I love traveling.

The more away I am, [CROSSTALK] I love my family, don't get me wrong, but.

>> Allisyn: My mom's my bestie, so I know I'm gonna miss her, but it's only going to be a few weeks.

So I need like time away cuz I feel like I'm always on the go, always doing something.

>> Ezequias: A little therapeutic [INAUDIBLE].

>> Allisyn: Yeah and get away.

What do you guys interested in most?

>> Ezequias: Excited just to meet people honestly, all these leaders in Arizona, it's me thinking I need to go out of state, I need to move somewhere else to find what I want to do.

>> Jasmin: I think the interviews with the leaders make me a little nervous just to see what's a good question to ask them?

What's the best question to ask them to get them talking?

>> Ezequias: I'm excited.

>> Jasmin: Super excited.

>> [MUSIC] >> Ezequias: Me, Meeks, Jasmin are gonna be in this big green RV.

>> Jasmin: Going through Arizona.

>> Allisyn: Just going around meeting different leaders.

>> Ezequias: All these successful leaders in Arizona.

>> Jasmin: Going on an adventure.

>> [MUSIC] >> Ezequias: Hello my name is Ezequias Fuentes.

I'm currently 20 years old and I just finished my sophomore year at Arizona State University.

So my mom actually has 10 kids: six guys, four girls, we have my nieces and nephew there.

You're not gonna get quiet at all.

I'm surprised it's quiet right now actually.

Be careful, be careful okay [INAUDIBLE] >> Ezequias: I'm doing a lot of things too to kind of put myself in a position where I can be stable in life.

I love to run.

It's good to get out of the house, you know I live with a lot people [LAUGH].

I come from very, very, very humble beginnings.

I'm really big on being able to prove to myself and be able to prove to my family that we can come from absolutely nothing, we can use all we've been through, we can use all that to kind of elevate us.

>> [MUSIC] >> Ezequias: Kind of the first out of 10 siblings to go to university on a full ride.

That's definitely a lot of pressure.

That's kind of where I'm at right now.

I'm just trying to figure out exactly what opportunity I need to take now that'll helped me reach a career that I want in the future.

>> [MUSIC] >> Jasmin: Hello my name is Jasmin Esmeralda Menjivar.

I am, nope [LAUGH].

Hello, my name is Jasmin Esmeralda Menjivar and my pronouns are she, her, hers.

I study biomedical sciences with a minor in chemistry at Northern Arizona University.

Here in Flagstaff, it's a little bit more outdoorsy.

I like to hike.

I also go out in the night just to like stargaze.

I like to draw, I like to paint.

There's just so many different things that I'm really interested in.

I am a first generation Latinx student.

I'm the eldest of four.

Being the oldest sister, I feel like I always have to know what I'm doing.

Our parents are all like, you got to do the best you can and it seemed it's never enough but at the same time they know that we're working really hard, very high expectations.

It's just, my life is super stressed to the point where I was doing everything at the same time, ups and downs all the time.

Super stressed, just super overwhelming.

Now with this road trip, I get to take some time for myself and do things and enjoy life.

I'm super excited to meet the other roadtrippers.

They have a lot of shared interests but, in the same time, interests that I would never have heard of.

>> [MUSIC] >> Allisyn: I've got show, throw your hands up in the sky.

My name is Allisyn Meeks, I'm 22.

So I already graduated and got my Associate's in audio production at Glendale Community College, where I go.

Right now I'm taking some classes in digital arts.

I've always been into music since I was younger.

I would love to have a future in engineering and producing.

I like love it.

Throw a compressor on there for the snare and for the kicks.

When I graduated I was like alright, what am I supposed to do now?

It's just kind of figuring out the next step, do I wanna continue school or do I wanna just start working in it?

So work is actually really cool, I get to see the process of like actually creating shirts.

I've always been interested in graphic design and like the arts.

I was initially going to go to school for graphic design but I switched it to music.

But I've always had that interest just cuz I like to see visuals and album covers and whenever artists do like roll outs for their albums and things like that, I like that process.

>> [MUSIC] >> Speaker 5: Hello how are you all doing?

>> Ezequias: Good, good, nice to meet you.

>> Allisyn: This is my mom, Angela.

>> Jasmin: You made shirts?

She made shirts!

>> Ezequias: Who made shirts, you made [CROSSTALK].

This is dope, definitely rocking it.

>> Allisyn: My mom is like my biggest supporter.

She says, whatever you want to do, just do it.

The pressure comes from society, like you're not doing good in life.

That's where a lot of the self doubt comes from.

It's always in the back of my mind.

I want to finish this trip because I want to see what's the final thing, what I want to do?

>> Jasmin: [LAUGH] Okay, this is cool.

The big RV, It's a really big RV.

>> Ezequias: You guys weren't lying when it's big and green.

>> Allisyn: It's my first time being on an RV so it's like very new to me but it's really cool.

MTV RV.

>> Ezequias: Check out the crib.

>> Jasmin: This is a whole house [LAUGH] [CROSSTALK].

>> Ezequias: Dance floor right here.

>> [MUSIC] >> Ezequias: I'm really excited for all these cool activities on top of meeting all these successful leaders in Arizona >> [MUSIC] >> Jasmin: We're gonna interview Omar Duron.

There's also like a Stanford study that says that his district is the top 10% of the nation for growth.

Whatever he's doing, he's doing it right.

>> Ezequias: Let's see what he's all about.

>> Omar: Omar Duron, take one.

>> Ezequias: Hollywood here you come.

>> Allisyn: No cameras please.

>> Ezequias: Not right now.

>> Omar: [LAUGH].

>> Ezequias: Okay so, we'd love to hear a little bit about your background, what you do, >> Omar: My name is Omar Duron, I am a principal, this is my fourth year as a principal.

I'm a product of this district.

I came to school here in Gadsden as a third grader.

I started my own education in in Mexico.

If I can give you a little bit of a background, I'm the youngest of seven.

My twin sister and I, would always, every weekend, would always go with my dad to work in the fields.

And we could see the hard work that it really takes from 4 in the morning to 6 in the afternoon.

And so I saw how my entire family work in the fields and I didn't want to follow suit.

I wanted to make sure that I follow my own dreams.

So I did kinder, first, and second in Mexico.

My parents moved to the United States, and so I started my education here in third grade.

And I really felt strongly about education.

I just wanted to make sure that I stuck through it.

>> Ezequias: I can relate to that a lot.

I'm one of the youngest out of 10.

And so I felt like throughout the years of my education and being in school, I've had to make decisions on my own as far as motivating myself to continue, goals, and stuff like that.

So I thank you for sharing that cuz I can definitely relate to that.

>> Jasmin: We can relate to that.

Spanish is my first language.

>> Omar: Really?

>> Jasmin: Yeah.

[LAUGH] >> Omar: Great.

>> Jasmin: I was low key about to cry [LAUGH] when you started talking about your family, I was like.

>> Omar: [LAUGH] And that's a great connection because, [LAUGH] even as a principal, as a 40 year old man, I always go back to making sure that I think of my roots and my background.

So that's really cool to hear that.

[LAUGH] >> Jasmin: No, it was cool.

>> Ezequias: Did you always have this passion to educate the youth?

>> Omar: You know what, not initially, but then I was hired at one of our Yuma high schools as a special education instructional aide.

And so when I started working there, that's when I felt like, okay, I'm able to make a difference, I felt it.

I was in the classroom for about seven years, teaching between third grade to sixth grade.

You get the bug of wanting to see how else you can impact within our school.

After several years as a master teacher and instructional coach, I started my second Master's in Educational Leadership.

So I became a principal.

I worked for a little bit at the district level and then I became a principal at Southwest and I've been here for four years.

And so to me, it's like coming full circle.

Whatever I did not necessarily feel I had growing up in education, my goal was that once I stepped into a classroom, I was going to do everything that I could to ensure that all of my students within that group would have the tools to not only learn the content, but also the language.

>> Jasmin: You're super passionate about what you do and I think your students are very lucky to have you as their principal.

>> Omar: Thank you so much.

I appreciate that.

I hope so, too.

[LAUGH] Every day is a new opportunity to face your fears, a new opportunity to help someone, a new opportunity to make a difference.

>> [MUSIC] >> Jasmin: Omar is just a really great person.

We related to him a lot.

>> Ezequias: One of the first in his big family to attend a university, reach for that post secondary education.

>> Jasmin: How he struggled with learning English, and that he wants to make sure that his students have what he didn't.

>> Ezequias: To see him and what he's doing in Arizona, in his community, in his school, is really, it's really cool.

>> [MUSIC] >> Ezequias: You all ready for this?

>> Allisyn: Are you ready for this?

>> [MUSIC] >> Jasmin: [LAUGH] >> Allisyn: Let's go.

>> Rachel: Nice to meet you guys.

Well welcome, I'm so happy to have you.

We gotta be safe, so we're gonna wear these harnesses.

>> Allisyn: Very unique pair of underwear.

>> [MUSIC] >> Rachel: You want the nose of the click-it to go on your magnet and then you push it on.

>> Ezequias: Whoa, all right, these are jiggly.

You have to hold on to the rope or you're falling.

I think that was the most, the hardest part, as far as getting through.

Yeah, but I had fun going that.

How about this splits?

This is not good [LAUGH].

>> Jasmin: Woohoo!

When I was doing the adventure course, at first I was scared.

You can shake it if you want, but if I start crying, that's on you.

But after that, I was trying to live in the moment, so I was having fun.

>> Ezequias: I was scaring Jasmin on the string course.

I know she's more like that, no, I wanna be careful.

You got this, Jasmin.

I like to always say, do what scares you, until it doesn't.

I was purposefully moving them more.

>> Allisyn: If you don't get off the bridge.

>> Jasmin: [LAUGH] Stop!

>> Ezequias: You got this, Jasmin!

All right, she's gonna hate me.

Come on, Meeks!

>> [MUSIC] >> Allisyn: I'm gonna be hella buff after this.

This is a workout.

>> Ezequias: Like outside the course itself, whether it's school, whether it's work, whether it's just something I'm trying new in life, I know that I'm not gonna fall all the way to the floor and hurt myself.

I have family there that I know that are rooting for me.

I have that support system [LAUGH] >> Jasmin: The adventure course just made me realize, why am I scared?

I should just go out there and do things.

Jump for it, go for it, and say yes to the opportunity.

Woo, [INAUDIBLE].

>> Allisyn: [INAUDIBLE], woo!

>> [MUSIC] >> Allisyn: [LAUGH] >> [MUSIC] >> Ezequias: Let's see, we finally made it to Footprint.

I like how they say healthier planet is healthier people.

So my name is Ezequias Fuentes.

Currently just finished my sophomore year at Arizona State University.

So I'm now going into my junior year.

And a big reason why I'm on this trip today and meeting all amazing leaders like yourself is just kind of put my foot in the door and see the vast variety of opportunities that there's out there for me.

>> Troy: Great, I'm Troy Swope.

I'm the CEO and co-founder of Footprint.

You are in Footprint's corporate headquarters.

It's basically a very large R&D facility.

So behind you, you see manufacturing, but that's generally the technology transfer process.

So what we do, Footprint has to innovate everything.

To develop a technology that competes with plastic in price, we not only had to develop material science.

We had to develop the process technologies that actually can produce it.

And can produce it at a price that's competitive with plastic.

>> Ezequias: It's cool.

[LAUGH] >> Jasmin: Yeah.

>> Ezequias: Can you kind of talk a little bit about your high school journey and college journey?

>> Troy: For me, I grew up a fairly, for lack of a better term, poor kid.

I think the last pair of shoes that anybody bought me, it was a ninth grade.

And actually, when I remember later on in high school, safety pinning my shoes together and everybody thought that was a cool thing.

But I was doing it because I was poor, couldn't afford another pair of shoes.

Then I got an opportunity to take an internship at Intel and I loved it.

And we started seeing problems with plastic contaminating Intel's product.

So just shipping it in plastic was contaminating products.

So I got real concerned as I was thinking about everything that you bring home from the store that's in plastic.

So I was bringing food product into Intel, which is probably a big no-no, and just saying, test it.

And frankly, everything that we tested was contaminated with plastic.

Everything, pineapple spears, cut fruits, you know, macaroni and cheese, anything had plastic in it that was stored in plastic.

That was ultimately the origin that led us to say, let's go out and create Footprint.

>> Ezequias: How has college and your academic success for you or your academic failures, how has that impacted your life and how has that been for you?

>> Troy: Well, I'm a obsessive learner, for sure.

So I'm doing a program at Yale right now, Yale School of Management, just because I was afraid of what I didn't know.

But it always created this, inside me, that I needed to learn more, read more.

I'm obsessive.

I read a, probably a book and a half a week.

My goal is at least a book a week.

So I think academically, to prove that you have discipline and skills, the easiest way to do that is through your education.

>> Ezequias: One thing I wanna bring up is because you do come from humble beginnings because I can relate to you a lot.

Do you feel like that is a reason why this entrepreneurial spirit came out, and how do you deal with kind of just re-humbling yourself?

Cuz I know sometimes I will forget where I come from.

And I will complain about something.

I'm like, man, you didn't even have shoes before.

Like, what are you complaining about?

How do you manage that?

>> Troy: I'm definitely humble when it comes to business.

I still feel like we haven't done anything yet, right?

We've got a great start, but we're still in the very beginnings of a long journey.

So I'm humbled from that perspective.

I buy my kids a stupid amount of shoes.

And these shoes, they don't even ask for because I didn't have shoes as a kid.

So they're getting the advantage of dad being weird about shoes, right?

I think to your point to your question, there is something that you got to bring yourself back to.

You should just be proud to be here, right?

>> [MUSIC] >> Ezequias: How do you keep yourself motivated?

>> Troy: Ultimately I ended up learning that I had the right answer.

It was in me, and don't always listen to somebody else that may tell you to sit down, to slow down, to not continue to push.

Listen to your gut, keep pushing.

>> [MUSIC] >> Ezequias: You know, everybody says you have to take risks in life, but his story helped me actually put it in perspective and like damn.

It's not something really just to say, it's actually something you really got to do.

>> [MUSIC] >> Ezequias: Eight minutes away, how you feeling?

[LAUGH] >> Jasmin: My stomach hurts, aah!

>> Ezequias: [INAUDIBLE] I got butterflies.

[LAUGH] >> Jasmin: Dr Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz is an OB Gyn, and the director of the Women's Health Microbiome Initiative.

>> [MUSIC] >> Melissa: So this is how we store our samples.

These are just samples of cells, supernatants coming off of the cells.

>> Allisyn: I was actually really excited for Jasmin.

She was definitely in my ear, like, this is this, cuz I'm looking at her like, wow, a box.

That's nice.

But she was like, this is for this.

I can see that excitement for her.

So what is the bio-reactor?

>> Jasmin: It mimics a vagina essentially.

So she's making cells to make it easier to study.

>> [MUSIC] >> Melissa: So I'm an associate professor here at the University of Arizona College of Medicine Phoenix.

I'm in the basic medical sciences and cross appointed in our Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and I direct Women's Health Research Program and a microbiome initiative here on campus.

>> Ezequias: I kinda wanna hear a little bit more about how you got to where you are today.

>> Melissa: So right after high school I went to undergrad, and I started volunteering at a clinic.

And I started to realize that, maybe this isn't what I want to do.

At that same time, a new faculty member came on board in our department, and he was very research-driven, and he was, was working on Sin Nombre virus.

So I started doing research with him, and so sharing the data that I generated really got me geeked up and I was like, my gosh, I love this so much.

And that's when I decided, you know what, I think I want to go to grad school.

>> Jasmin: I know that there's a lot of women in this field, but in the same time there's a lot of male gynecologists, how have you overcome those hurdles?

>> Melissa: I'm a first gen college student and professional.

So and I grew up here in Arizona, and so that in itself poses a lot of challenges, right?

Just being a first gen.

I'm seeing you guys shake your head so maybe you guys are first gens too.

So you know how hard it is when you don't have a support system that's been there, done that, can kind of guide you.

So you have to find other mentors along the way.

I come from a really strong family of women, and so that's really helped me to feel that I can do what I wanna do, and that I have a seat at the table.

>> Jasmin: From my personal experience, I did do an internship a long time ago when I was in high school.

I started seeing how women's health plays a big part, especially in my family cuz we're four girls.

[LAUGH] So, especially like the Latinx community, we don't really talk about these things until we're older and it's too late, or you've already been living with this experience for so long, like bacterial vaginosis and endometriosis.

And so, that's why I was inspired to continue on and learn more about the vaginal microbiome.

>> Melissa: And you did mention the Latinx community, and that's a community that I definitely wanna make an impact in here in Arizona.

As well as our Native American communities, because they are understudied, underserved, and underrepresented.

And so I think we need more women in clinical trials, more diverse women.

And so that's something that I've really I tried to do through the work that I'm doing.

>> [MUSIC] >> Melissa: So if you want to go and get that professional degree, it's four years of your life.

>> [MUSIC] >> Melissa: If you are miserable in what you're doing, don't do it.

Life is way too short.

>> Jasmin: I don't know, it just feels right.

It feels like I belong there.

>> [MUSIC] >> Jasmin: My heart is telling me you need to go back to school and find that strive again where you retain all this information, all these exciting things.

>> [MUSIC] >> JC: Hey, guys.

>> Ezequias: Hello.

>> JC: My name is JC, I'll be your guide today.

We're gonna be going up 1300 feet up the Mogollon Rim.

>> Allisyn: Let's go crazy.

>> Jasmin: I'm excited!

>> [MUSIC] >> JC: This rim goes all the way through Arizona into New Mexico, southern rim of the Colorado Plateau.

>> [MUSIC].

>> Ezequias: The Jeep tour, I think it was really dope getting up that high on the mountain.

>> JC: Prepare to engage those core muscles.

>> Allisyn: I'm about to have a six pack at the end of this.

[LAUGHING] [LAUGH] Is there a way to like double up the seatbelts?

The Jeep tour was lit.

It was really fun to actually go out there and see it from an eagle's perspective, basically.

>> [MUSIC] >> Ezequias: Jasmin, I'm working on her.

A lot of people's voices aren't heard because they're shy.

And I was like, just kinda open up, so.

>> Jasmin: I feel like I've grown from being awkward [LAUGH] like a shy person.

And now I'm just talking a little bit more, and it's pretty cool to see how I feel more comfortable around everyone.

>> [MUSIC] >> Jasmin: Once we got up there, that's when I was like, this is amazing.

>> [MUSIC] >> Jasmin: I used to have so much stress on my shoulders.

And now that I'm taking a break, it's just like, wow.

[LAUGH] I've never been so calm in my life.

[LAUGH] I'm just so excited to continue this trip with confidence.

>> [MUSIC] >> Jasmin: I'm excited.

>> [MUSIC] >>Allisyn I still don't know what to expect on this trip >> Jasmin: We still have like nine more days to go >>Allisyn: We're getting ready to meet the owner of the biggest studio in Arizona >>Don Hello Roadtrippers Welcome to the Salt Mine Studio Oasis >> Ezequias: Be myself Share what I am and There is something out there for me >> Donna: What i've learned is only you are the person that can hold yourself back.

or move yourself forward >> Jasmin: Speechless >> Allisyn I know, I was like "oof" >>Allisyn My eyes are so open right now.

Wondering what to do with your life?

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