It was a chilly Friday morning as Luis Valdez stepped forward, the booming echo of the conch welcomed him, the rhythmic beats of the “huehuetls” saluted him, and the harmonic rattling of the “chachayotls” blessed the ground on which he was standing.

He was gracefully welcomed with open arms by the Mexica Aztec Dancers to this humble piece of land known as Mexicayotl Academy. As he entered the school one couldn’t help but marvel at this great man, a persona of immense possibilities, an honorable and respected director, dramaturge and playwright within the “Latino,” Chicano community throughout the United States and the world.

Valdez provided a speech to the students of fourth level (6th - 8th) that focused on youth on the border. He spoke about how he worked with C�©sar Chavez during the farmworkers’ strike, how he became interested in the theater, the conditions of his past, and how he used those aspects of his life to inspire and move forward to become what he is today.

He spoke of the wonders of the Mexican culture and how it pertains to all cultures of the world and explained his motivation for joining the theater to tell the untold story of the community, whether it be political or social.

Finally, he reminded students that even though times are bad there have been worse, and to never let anyone tell them that they can't do it because “si se puede.”

Luis Valdez was the director and writer of “La Bamba” and “Zoot Suit.”