By Q’Hubo News Team
Giovanni is a strong and very resilient person who experienced difficulties in life, lost a friend to suicide, and was bullied growing up. He is known as Gio. He was born and raised in Reading, PA. A poor city where he grew up with his mother and father. His mother earned most of the income and his father went from job to job. One time he came home seeing his parents cry because they had no other options. He didn’t feel like he had a path in front of him. All he saw was fighting. It took him a long time to make a breakthrough. He was a good student and that helped him, he always liked learning and performing in the classroom. He always wanted to talk, but few people gave him the opportunity to do so. Giovanni began his journey determined to pursue his dreams and what he wanted in life. He always wondered how he was going to pay for college and his parents said “if you want it, you have to go get it.” He received help from his vocational counselor. His parents did not let him work in factories so that he could lead a different life. She received an email from the admissions counselor at Kutztown University, where she was awarded a full scholarship.
He thought it was a fake email when he received the email from his admissions counselor, but it was not a fake email and he was accepted there to do his bachelor’s program.In the process, he realized that he was gaining weight and this happened due to trauma from her past. He was trying to cover it up through his involvement in the community and the university. One day he stepped on the scale and found that he weighed 366 pounds. He also developed other problems because of this, to the point that he could almost die in his sleep. In the winter of 2019, he ended up without money, living in his apartment and without electricity because he could not afford it. He was about to take his own life, even though he was doing many other things for other people and through his university, but he realized that he was not taking care of himself.
He felt he needed to change his life and embark on a journey, and when the pandemic struck in 2020 he went to see what his options were to turn things around. His doctor gave him the option to undergo weight loss surgery, and this process taught him that he needed to be humble and move on. One of the things that changed his life was when someone told him “You are so fat you should end up with your life “and in that moment he realized that he needed to become the person who would encourage other people and give them love and acceptance. He then decided to use his story to help other people find their purpose and motivation through what he had been through. Giovanni is the founder of the Legacy Summit for the Pennsylvania Latino Convention, he is also at IUP University pursuing his master’s degree as he continues. giving motivational speeches and engaging in community. Giovanni’s advice to young men is to understand that it’s okay to cry, to show their true emotions, and to be open.
His website is goinspireothers.com and he wants to encourage everyone to attend the Latino Convention and to contact him if there is anyone interested in hiring him for an upcoming talk.
Author: Amaury Abreu
