Clinton in Mexico, gives keynote speech
Carlos Slim commemorates over 10,000 scholarship recipients
BY TONYA ERNST
The News
Recipients of billionaire Carlos Slim Helú’s Telmex Foundation scholarships attended the annual Mexico XXI Century conference Friday, featuring a handful of well-respected international speakers at the National Auditorium in Mexico City.
The watershed event brought to the stage former Secretary of State and first lady Hillary Clinton, writer Lizzie Velazquez, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, soccer player Ronaldinho, actor Antonio Banderas and, of course, chairman of Grupo Carso and son of billionaire Carlos Slim Helú, Carlos Slim Domit, each offering words of guidance to the more than 10,000 scholarship recipients from various public and private universities across Mexico.
With three of the five speakers delivering their speeches in English, the sponsoring Teléfonos de México (Telmex) organizers delivered a high-tech event by offering in-house translations for Spanish-speakers remitted through headphones located at every seat, as well as translations from Spanish for the English-speakers.
Despite the tech-savviness and plethora of free food, the conference’s most impressive feat was the quality of its international speakers.
Mexico XXI Century began with an opening from Slim Domit applauding the efforts and continued success of the Telmex Foundation in integrating students beyond the world of academia.
He also recognized the triumph of the corporation’s nonprofit foundation in improving the everyday lives of Mexicans.
“We are pleased and proud to continue contributing to technology, education and health,” he said
Slim Domit specifically recognized the construction of the 17,800-kilometer AMX1 submarine optic cable system, which will stretch across seven countries from Florida to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, allowing Ámerica Movil and its subsidiaries to provide international connectivity.
He noted that the 100G-transmission system will permit 846 million simultaneous calls or the download of 2.2 million songs per second.
In education, Slim Domit commended the Telmex Foundation’s connection of 528 public and private universities with access to joint education programs, as well as academic content.
Slim Domit concluded his speech by thanking the students, reiterating his gratitude for their efforts in furthering Mexico’s future and introducing the subsequent speakers of the day, including many names that were met with loud applause from the packed auditorium.
Hillary Rodham Clinton was the first guest speaker to grace the auditorium’s stage.
The former secretary of State and first lady to former U.S. President Bill Clinton offered a moving recollection of events in her life that motivated her to choose a future in politics.
She particularly directed her speech to the young women in the audience, encouraging them to strive for positions that they may think are out of reach, recalling that she was once forced to break barriers in order to move ahead professionally.
Clinton spoke of her working-class background, having been raised by parents without college degrees, and emphasized the importance of education to evoke social mobility in a generally male-dominated period in the United States.
She encouraged the young females in the audience to consider a career in politics, saying it is of utmost importance for the country to continue progressing.
“Countries that don’t have the full participation of girls and women, their economies are not as strong, they are not as stable and democratic,” Clinton said.
“We’ve gotten so much further than most of the rest of the world in knocking down barriers.”
During a question-and-answer session, Clinton responded to an inquiry as to whether her name would be seen on the ballot as the democratic candidate for the United States’ presidential election in 2016 by saying she would “make a decision probably after the first of the year.”
She hinted that she might be leaning toward the presidency bid, acknowledging her “unique vantage point” due to the various positions she has held in her political career, such as first lady, senator of New York and U.S. secretary of State.
“What I have learned as secretary of State and before that as a United States senator is that every problem in the world cannot be solved by the United States, but there is not a problem in the world that can be solved without the United States,” Clinton said.
Clinton also spoke of the importance of creating and maintaining a middle class in the United States, attributing that to the achievement of the American Dream.
She touched on various matters concerning U.S. policy, such as her stance on the Middle East and Russian President Vladmir Putin’s actions in Ukraine.
“It’s very important that Europe remain whole, stable and at peace,” Clinton said, “and that Russia be persuaded or somehow convinced, even coerced, into looking toward the future, not the past.”
Her trip to Mexico also coincided with potential U.S. Republican presidential candidate and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s week-long visit to Mexico City to promote bilateral trade and investment.
Author and motivational speaker Lizzie Velazquez followed Clinton, giving a speech encouraging the audience to love themselves “from the inside out.”
Velazquez, 25, was diagnosed with an incredibly rare medical condition that inhibited her from gaining any body fat.
Standing strong at 64 pounds, Velazquez said that during her childhood she constantly dealt with bullying from those around her.
She detailed the moment she found a video on YouTube titled “The Ugliest Woman Alive” as the most traumatic day of her life.
She attributed the strong community she had built around her for the ability to rise above the criticism and frequent bullying.
Like Clinton, Velazquez emphasized the importance of kindness to others, stating that it is the only way to combat discrimination in our communities.
Velazquez’s third book ,“Be Happy, Be You,” oultines her efforts to accept herself and to strive toward her dream as a motivational speaker.
She encouraged the Telmex Foundation beneficiaries to continue working toward their own dreams and to not let self-imposed limitations deriving from insecurities set them back.
Following Velazquez, Mark Zuckerberg took the stage for a Q&A.
The 30-year-old entrepreneur is the founder and CEO of social media juggernaut Facebook.
Zuckerberg’s discourse covered his earliest experiences coding information and the beginning of Facebook, along with his views of the future of human connectivity.
He gave special emphasis on matters of education, noting he and his wife Priscilla lead the project Startup: Education founded in 2010.
Zuckerberg was particularly vocal regarding the problems faced by undocumented students seeking a path to study in the United States.
“It is a big issue that needs to get fixed. It is a matter we care deeply about,” he said.
Zuckerberg also reiterated the importance of technology in the world and the mobility it provides for those who learn to use it.
He expressed his determination to connect the entire world to the Internet.
“Even if it means that Facebook has to spend billions of dollars over the next decade making this happen, I believe that over the long term it’s gonna be a good thing for us and for the world,” he said.
Later, Antonio Banderas, known as the prototypical Spanish heartthrob thanks to his assortment of successful Hollywood roles, took the stage.
Banderas outlined his development as an actor while putting up with constant obstacles in his youth.
Talking about his early experiences as a member of the audience when attending plays, he said “I found myself on the wrong side of the stage.”
Soccer great Ronaldinho, the fifth speaker of the event and the former Golden Ball winner from Porto Alegre, Brazil, also received an impressive ovation from the public.
Ronaldinho, whose real name is Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, discussed his ability to overcome poverty, having been raised, along with his brother Roberto, by a single mother in a favela (Brazilian slum).
During his Q&A, questions were centered around how he managed to cope with the power, fame and financial gains that accompanied his success on the soccer field.
Ronaldinho surprised audiences when he announced his acceptance of a two-year contract with Mexico’s first division to join the White Roosters team of Queretaro.
The announcement that one of the biggest names in the soccer world was entering the Mexican league brought screams of excitement to the room.
Along with expressing his appreciation to Mexico, Ronaldinho told the students not to let superficial distractions take hold of what they want to accomplish in life.
“Don’t lose focus, you must keep working hard,” he said.
By the end of the event, Telemex beneficiaries had heard advice on topics ranging from bullying to the importance of connectivity.
The Telmex Foundation, founded in 1996, has been Carlos Slim Helú’s (one of the richest men in the world) largest charitable foundation, concentrating on efforts relating to health, social justice, culture and, of course, education.
The importance and accomplishments of the Telmex Foundation scholarship recipients and the future of Mexico were not forgotten during the magna conference, as Clinton, referring to the students, noted: “Mexico has one of the brightest futures of any country in the world.”
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