Resourcefulness is in our roots

'Resourcefulness Is in Our Roots' tells the story of Coro's upbringing in Cuba during the 'Período Especial' (Special Period). It showcases how millions of people — including Coro — survived sudden, extreme poverty and scarcity of every imaginable kind by using creativity. In Coro's case, he scraped together discarded technology to invent, create and survive.

"This is an important month to reflect on our roots and history — and that's the purpose of the speech: to remind us of our resourcefulness in tough circumstances, and to apply that same skill set to get ahead in this country where resources, many of them technological, abound," said Coro.

While in Cuba, Coro was one of the first people to build his own computer out of scrap parts, and even engineered a makeshift satellite dish from spare parts of Soviet-era radios to access channels forbidden by the government, such as HBO and CNN. That resourcefulness eventually allowed him to move to the United States — arriving with very little English and a high-school education, but with the will to succeed and continually educate himself.

A favorite for Hispanic Heritage Month, this speech is a motivational and compelling story about the will to succeed and ingenuity under tough circumstances.

As a keynote speaker for in-person or virtual events, Coro engages the audience in his charismatic style through stimulating creativity exercises, and shares advice from his motivational book El Salto — aprovecha las nuevas tecnologías y alcanza tu potencial, the same lessons that helped him surmount incredible obstacles as an immigrant and work for world-class organizations such as the Hubble Space Telescope and Cisco Systems.

Creativity and innovation are more important than ever. We are living in tough times where technology is starting to turn on us in many ways — artificial intelligence is bound to replace many jobs and professions, and it's up to us to leverage our creativity to thrive. That capability comes naturally to all people; we've just forgotten how to tap into this precious resource.