Stories That Soar: Inspired by Jamila Gilbert

Global Give-A-Book
Apr 12
2 min read

Following our first reflection on the LATINA Style Business Series in Albuquerque, we're excited to share another perspective from one of our dedicated UNM reading tutors, Eli Salway.

Latina Style Business Event

Written by Eli Salway, UNM History Major

On April 10th, I attended the Latina Style Business Series event at CNM's main campus. At this event, I met a lot of awesome business owners and motivated individuals. It was cool to learn about their businesses and share GGAB's mission.

The keynote speaker at this event was Jamila Gilbert, an artist and astronaut. I was lucky to peel away from the GGAB booth and see her talk. It was inspiring to hear about how her Grandfather, who was a violinist, inspired her to become the person she is

today. Jamila’s Grandfather was a self-taught violinist, and he got so good that he and his band were invited to play for the president of Mexico. However, Jamila's story about her grandfather was not the only inspiring aspect of her talk. Hearing her talk about seeing the world from space and how gorgeous it is up there was awesome. She talked about what it felt like to have the roaring engine push them out of the atmosphere and see her home state, New Mexico, from high above. I especially liked it when she said that she saw Whitesands and the Rio Grande from space, but what she couldn't see were the borders.

At the end of the event, before packing up, we had the chance to give Jamila Gilbert her GGAB book. I enjoyed attending this event, spreading the GGAB mission, and hearing Jamila Gilbert speak. It was cool to see her art and the pictures from space. It was also awesome to be in a space full of successful women eager to engage in conversation and enjoy each other's company.