GUEST BLOG: HOLA-- An Organization That We Must Support

Whenever we come upon something new, especially if it’s connected to an important goal we finally achieve, we tend to go into the endeavor with much energy and enthusiasm. It’s only natural. I know this is true for me in the teaching profession I am in currently. I felt, and still do feel the same way; as good and proud as when I first started to make a difference in youngsters’ lives. I felt the same way when I became a member of HOLA a few decades ago. The excitement of associating with an organization that symbolized a group effort to get ahead in the performing profession was immense. Early on in HOLA, just like today, there were a group of people whose guidance and daily/longterm planning kept the members enthused about the possibilities ahead.

Unfortunately, goals and objectives can become hazy. Enthusiasm can and sometimes does wane. We have good days and bad ones. I know for sure that what keeps me excited about HOLA and a career in the performing arts is the fact that my enthusiasm for both is genuine. I keep going back to those first initial moments of long ago, in order to gain back that memory of how fresh and unique the feeling was. I was starting off on a track in the visual and performing arts realm. And I was not alone; I had a group that I could lean on, talk to, get feedback from, and much more.

In HOLA we have a longstanding organization that is there for us at a moment’s notice. We have a group of caring administrative individuals and a huge resource of members that most of us have not even met. Yes, there is competition involved, and yes we as individuals want to stand out and show what we can do. But, there is also a bigger picture that we tend to ignore or not see. It is this blockade that keeps us from seeing that it is up to us to make HOLA the organization we want it to be. It is easy to say, “HOLA has done nothing for me lately.” Just as we need the pep talks and encouragement to keep going so does our longstanding organization. HOLA needs our participation and feedback. It needs us to show that we care about the work being done, about the workshops being set up, etc.

Whenever I get tired or stressed out over working in the education field, I look around at other people who are struggling to get certified or are trying very hard to get into the teaching profession. It forces me to look back and to tap into that wave of energy and enthusiasm that brought me into the field to begin with. The same goes with HOLA and its connection to my future in the performing arts field.

I was away from the organization in my extended tour in the military, but I came back and know that I will always be a part of HOLA and its support system. In the meantime, HOLA can count on me to help it move along in its longterm plan to keep helping actors achieve their goals. It goes both ways.

...Ernesto López
HOLA Member since 1979