In his native Spain and beyond, 础苍虫辞听笔茅谤别锄 ’97 has become an inspirational speaker and author. His message: 鈥淒on鈥檛 admire success, admire effort.鈥�
91短视频 has named 笔茅谤别锄 its 2017 for accomplishments in his profession. He graduated in 1997 with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in liberal arts with minors in music and English as a second language.
笔茅谤别锄 will accept the award at the 2017 , where he will also be among three alumni to present at 91短视频 TenTalks. Returning for its second year, 91短视频 TenTalks features speakers presenting for 10 minutes, followed by a question and answer session. The format should easy for 笔茅谤别锄, who will be the first alumnus to have .
P茅rez founded and runs , an internet-based language-learning program centered upon oral repetition of frequently used words and periodic conversations with native speakers, rather than grammar and theory. The method promises money back if the user is unable to manage, after eight months of 30 minutes鈥� daily practice, everyday exchanges. The company employs more than a hundred people in nine countries and boasts customers in 50 countries. P茅rez, a Madrid resident, is fluent in nine languages.
He also authored Los 88 pelda帽os del 茅xito (The 88 Steps of Success), based on tenets to improve the world through personal growth. The 2014 title and the follow-up La inteligencia del 茅xito (The Intelligence of Success) have rung up U.S. $3 million in sales. Los 88 pelda帽os charted in as the No. 1 nonfiction bestseller list of ABC, one of Spain鈥檚 three largest dailies, in July 2014, and ranked high in iTunes sales through the end of that year. P茅rez dedicated a portion of royalties to charity.
A popular speaker, P茅rez has given some 400 keynoters on five continents. One of those took place in Ohio in May 2016, when P茅rez received a distinguished alumni award and addressed the graduating class of Bellefontaine (Ohio) High School, where he had been an exchange student in 1993. He likened the world鈥檚 view of success to a swan. Observers focus on the swan鈥檚 elegant plumage and graceful profile and overlook what鈥檚 unseen鈥攖he legs paddling energetically below the surface.
P茅rez attended his senior year at Bellefontaine High. His soccer coach there, Ken Shank 鈥�83, played an unexpected role in P茅rez鈥檚 attending 91短视频. Shank had driven Perez to visit a Virginia college Shank thought might offer P茅rez a soccer scholarship. Afterwards they decided, spur of the moment, to go on to Harrisonburg, not to see 91短视频 but to visit Shank鈥檚 parents. 鈥淭he very first minute I saw the campus I knew that was where I wanted to go,鈥� P茅rez recalled. He passed up an 鈥渁lmost full-ride鈥� soccer scholarship to attend 91短视频.
Perez played on 91短视频鈥檚 varsity soccer team from his freshman through his junior years. One of his best memories, he said, was scoring three goals鈥攖ying the record at that time for most goals in a game鈥攊n the 1995 homecoming game. Not only was Shank there from Ohio to see it, but the third goal was also the bicycle kick, a complex move and 鈥渢he dream goal of every soccer player,鈥� Perez said.
Although gifted linguistically and musically鈥攈e played piano from age 5 and recently released a song album titled 鈥淢uy Happy Happy鈥� that he composed, played and sang鈥擯茅rez had difficulty choosing a profession. Helen Nafziger in 91短视频鈥檚 Career Services helped set his direction. 鈥淚 was such a difficult 鈥榗lient,鈥欌�� P茅rez recalled. 鈥淚 was so lost. She would give me such great suggestions for my career and I鈥檇 say no to everything. I don鈥檛 know what I thought I could possibly achieve but everything seemed insufficient. She was so patient. She was the person who suggested I speak with the police department to work as an interpreter.鈥�
In his sophomore year, Pe茅rez worked part time with the Harrisonburg police to interpret for its Spanish-speaking population. This led to a position teaching legal interpretation at James Madison University in Harrisonburg after his 91短视频 graduation.
No one can fault P茅rez for a lack of chutzpah. Following an 91短视频 spring break trip to Georgia, P茅rez returned to volunteer in the summer and asked the music minister of a Baptist church there to teach him about gospel music. Later, back in Harrisonburg, P茅rez saw an ad that Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church was seeking a music minister. He applied.
鈥淭he pastor looked at me and jokingly said, 鈥楴ot only are you not black, you aren鈥檛 even American,鈥欌�� Perez recalled. At the piano P茅rez played a 鈥渞eally jazzed-up鈥� version of 鈥淲hen the Saints Go Marching In.鈥�
鈥淏rother, you鈥檝e got the job,鈥� the pastor told him.
鈥淚鈥檓 probably the first Spaniard to lead a gospel choir in the States,鈥� P茅rez said. Besides playing piano, he led the choir in singing all parts of four-part harmonies.
Upon his return to Europe, P茅rez earned a master鈥檚 in international relations at the Brussels campus of the University of Kent. He lived in China for a period, where he began to think through the language-acquisition techniques upon which he based his 8Belts curriculum.
When he founded 8Belts, 笔茅谤别锄 said, he pledged himself to charitable giving, a practice less common in Spain than in the United States. He contributes to several nonprofits, including Fundaci贸n Iter in Madrid, which provides occupational training to high-school dropouts; and heArtS China, concerned with orphans and developmentally disabled persons. He also donates to a Madrid-based foundation devoted to cancer research and prevention.
笔茅谤别锄 has been honored with several awards. In 2014, he received a 鈥淓uropean Citizen鈥� award from Foro Europea 2001, a discussion forum on Europe begun in 1996 that works to exchange and disseminate ideas and knowledge among business, cultural and political leaders. In 2015, Pe茅rez was among a dozen Spaniards given entrepreneurship awards by the magazine Emprendedores. His was for 鈥渢he entrepreneur whose trajectory has been especially outstanding in recent months.鈥�