Hi, I'm Caliph.
I’m a speaker dedicated to helping students understand the power of the choices and decisions they make everyday.
I have a passion for helping elementary school student be their best selves by inspiring them to reach for their dreams and teaching them that they have agency over their thoughts, emotions and behaviors. Integrating elements of PBIS & SEL, my programs aim to improve behavior by changing thoughts, attitudes, and choices. I know what it's like to have difficult experiences in school and at home, and my goal is to help students navigate the difficulties of childhood and adolescence to grow into healthy adults. Having experienced abuse in the home, bullying at school, and being exposed to drugs at an early age, it's a miracle that I've been able to achieve all that I have. Addiction was an everyday reality for me as my mother toiled with alcoholism & depression and my siblings with drug addiction. I thought this meant that addiction and depression were my destiny. But what I realized is for years I blamed other people for my suffering--when the reality is that I had far more control over my situation that I was willing to admit. I chose how I saw myself, I chose how I treated others, and I chose how I treated myself. After being exposed to drugs at a young age, I decided to continue to use to deal with my pain and to fit-in. Despite my challenges, my burning desire for success still drove me to accomplish some significant goals. I was able to attend college at UC Davis where I served as Associated Students President, be admitted to and graduate from UCLA School of Law, pass the Bar Exam the first time, and start a successful lobbying firm. But just after starting my firm, I hit rock bottom with addiction. I realized my "success" and my addiction were the result of me running from traumas I was unwilling to face. I decided it was time to face my challenges head-on. In order to change my life and get sober, I changed my story and realized that these were my decisions and I had to own my journey, my recovery, and my happiness. I know if I made different choices at a young age, my path would have been different. As a speaker, I help elementary students understand the agency they have in creating their lives through their daily choices. I help them develop awareness of their circumstances, emotions, and behavior, and teach them how to master them all. I'd love to bring my story, energy and passion to your campus to serve your awesome students!
I have a passion for helping elementary school student be their best selves by inspiring them to reach for their dreams and teaching them that they have agency over their thoughts, emotions and behaviors. Integrating elements of PBIS & SEL, my programs aim to improve behavior by changing thoughts, attitudes, and choices. I know what it's like to have difficult experiences in school and at home, and my goal is to help students navigate the difficulties of childhood and adolescence to grow into healthy adults. Having experienced abuse in the home, bullying at school, and being exposed to drugs at an early age, it's a miracle that I've been able to achieve all that I have. Addiction was an everyday reality for me as my mother toiled with alcoholism & depression and my siblings with drug addiction. I thought this meant that addiction and depression were my destiny. But what I realized is for years I blamed other people for my suffering--when the reality is that I had far more control over my situation that I was willing to admit. I chose how I saw myself, I chose how I treated others, and I chose how I treated myself. After being exposed to drugs at a young age, I decided to continue to use to deal with my pain and to fit-in. Despite my challenges, my burning desire for success still drove me to accomplish some significant goals. I was able to attend college at UC Davis where I served as Associated Students President, be admitted to and graduate from UCLA School of Law, pass the Bar Exam the first time, and start a successful lobbying firm. But just after starting my firm, I hit rock bottom with addiction. I realized my "success" and my addiction were the result of me running from traumas I was unwilling to face. I decided it was time to face my challenges head-on. In order to change my life and get sober, I changed my story and realized that these were my decisions and I had to own my journey, my recovery, and my happiness. I know if I made different choices at a young age, my path would have been different. As a speaker, I help elementary students understand the agency they have in creating their lives through their daily choices. I help them develop awareness of their circumstances, emotions, and behavior, and teach them how to master them all. I'd love to bring my story, energy and passion to your campus to serve your awesome students!
Some districts I've worked with include...
Watch The Videos!
Below are a few clips of me speaking to elementary school students. In this first clip I am delivering my most requested speech, "Choosing Character," to Junior High students. Scroll down to see elementary clips and testimonials from elementary principals and assistant principals.. My most requested speeches and speaker request form can be found below these videos.
Caliph delivers his "Choosing Character" speech to a group of middle school students. He teaches students the power of their choices and their ability to choose who they want to be and the type of life they want. This message is delivered at age appropriate levels for elementary, middle school, and high school studios.
Elementary School Vids!
Choosing Character for Kinder-3rd (Extended Clip) |
Choosing Character 4th-6th
|
Choosing Character 4th-6th
|
What Elementary Principals Are Saying!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Most Requested Presentations
Choosing Character
Keynote Presentation Covering Bullying Prevention, Mental Health, and Character.
The choices we make today - even as elementary school students - will be with us forever. Some of those critical choices are what we choose to believe, how we choose to treat others, and, importantly, how we choose to treat ourselves. We all want to be remembered for being a positive influence on others, but we don't always meet that standard. And the words we use, and the actions we take, are the result of these choices.
In this speech, Caliph chronicles the difficult path to learning to treat himself and others well. After having his self-esteem destroyed by a bully, he took these things out on others. It wasn't until he healed himself that he was able to see what an impact bullying had on his life; and how his behavior impacted others.
Caliph helps students understand that how you treat yourself will influence how you treat others; but also, that no matter how someone else treats you, it's your choice as to whether you internalize the words they use, or choose to create a positive inner dialogue to counteract those words.
Students will leave with a sense of what standard they should have for developing good character and treating classmates, teachers, guardians and themselves with respect.
In this speech, Caliph chronicles the difficult path to learning to treat himself and others well. After having his self-esteem destroyed by a bully, he took these things out on others. It wasn't until he healed himself that he was able to see what an impact bullying had on his life; and how his behavior impacted others.
Caliph helps students understand that how you treat yourself will influence how you treat others; but also, that no matter how someone else treats you, it's your choice as to whether you internalize the words they use, or choose to create a positive inner dialogue to counteract those words.
Students will leave with a sense of what standard they should have for developing good character and treating classmates, teachers, guardians and themselves with respect.
I Know I Can
Keynote Presentation To Inspire Young Students To Reach For Their Greatness.
Are your students truly convinced of their power to reach their true potential? Are they dreaming big enough? Do they know what they do, even at this young age, really matters to the course of their life? In this talk, Caliph shares anecdotes about how he discovered his true potential, and how students can, too. He covers self-confidence - why it's important, and how to develop it; having a vision for the type of person you want to be and the type of life you want to live and how to create it; and work ethic - what it really takes to get what you want. By the end of this speech, your students will be inspired to dream bigger, work harder, and become the best version of themselves by reaching for destination greatness.
Request Caliph!
Complete the form below if you would like more information about hosting Caliph at your event.
