Alumni Spotlight – Sabrina Riback

Learn to Start is proud to be working with the next generation of lower, middle, and high school students in reimagining what the 21st-century education system should look like. Hear from one of LTS’s incredible alumni, Sabrina Riback, as she shares how LTS has impacted her personal and professional life since graduating from the program.

Confidence

Learn to Start: How has being in Learn To Start impacted your confidence as a person? Learn to start has had an invaluable effect on my confidence as a person. As I look back at my incredible 4 years spent in the program, I would say my confidence as a person grew thanks to the program. Fear used to hold me back, now it only takes me further. My freshman year I was the only freshman in the class and 1 of 3 girls. I was terrified, to say the least. It was the first day of class and I was tasked to tell my life story. No directions, no anything. By standing up and pitching countless times, being put on the spot, and embracing failure, my confidence was pushed to the next level and I will never let fear hold me back anymore. Throughout my time in the program, I would say the confidence I gained has helped me in every aspect of my life and I feel as if I am one step ahead of almost all my peers here in college who didn’t have the opportunity to go through the LTS program.

Purpose

LTS: How has LTS defined or redefined purpose for you in your personal and professional life? LTS has changed my life more than words can describe. However, I would say LTS fueled my passion for creating. Creating ventures, creating opportunities, and creating change. In my personal life, LTS sent me down a personal growth journey that has changed my life completely. LTS preaches education. Read, watch, listen. This simple concept has given me variety as a person, I am well versed on a variety of different topics that I can talk about for hours. It’s provided me with a sense of dimension that many 19-year-olds can’t say they have. This directly correlates to my professional life. Thanks to LTS, I have had a paid internship for the last 3 years, a published book, 2 LLCs, and have turned a $5,000 grant that I got into $30,000 in the stock market. However aside from these accomplishments, my personal attributes that got me to where I am now are all thanks to the program. My favorite line that I believe wholeheartedly is how much more I learned and how deeply my life was changed in my pass-fail class compared to my academic classes. What you learn in the LTS program will hands down change the trajectory of your life and I am living proof. From little things like negotiating my grades at the end of each trimester, to now forming meaningful relationships with my professors and their connections. The skill set I gained has truly set me up in immeasurable ways which I am so grateful for and couldn’t preach enough how important and how truly valuable it is.

Preparedness

LTS: How has LTS defined or redefined preparedness for you in your personal and professional life? Like I said before, LTS has truly set me up for a life of success. Not only has the program fueled my ambition, but it’s given me the confidence, the experience, and the never-give-up mindset that will no doubt affect me in the most positive way in the future. I want to take a different route than most to answer this question. I would say that learning and really being comfortable with discomfort and overcoming my fear of failure thanks to the program has been the biggest thing in terms of preparation for both my personal and professional life. This skill has taught me how to display myself in front of a crowd, not to be afraid to stand up for what I believe in, and truly to take charge of every opportunity. This simple yet life-changing attribute has changed the way I go about my life in every way and I have been lucky enough to reap the benefits in every aspect.

Ability to Network

LTS: What was your knowledge of networking prior to LTS vs after? How has LTS impacted your ability to network? My knowledge of networking prior to LTS I would say was strong but not nearly as strong as it needed to be. I knew the importance of networking, but I didn’t know necessarily how to network and how important networking is everywhere you go, not just in the business world. LTS changed networking for me and now everyone I meet is a connection. LTS has given me access to countless connections which I will have forever and have changed my life. Everyone I met during my time as an LTS student I made a one-on-one meeting with. This led me to have a lawyer pro bono, a contest win, and a paid internship, and connections in almost every field I have an interest in. Not only has LTS broadened my network, but it taught me how to network and take charge of every opportunity. This is truly an invaluable skill that I would not have without LTS.

Check out Sabrina’s current project here!