[female narrator #3] Everywhere you turn, people try to tell you who to be and what to do.
But what about deciding for yourself?
Roadtrip Nation is a movement that empowers people to define their own Roads in life.
Ever since the original Roadtrip in 2001, the keys to the Green RV have been passed down to a new generation of Roadtrippers.
[Roadtripper #2] Me and two total strangers [Roadtripper #3] Are going to travel across the nation, interviewing [Roadtripper #2] People who have made lives out of passions.
[Roadtripper #1] We're trying to find out who we are and what we want to do with our lives.
[female narrator #3] This is Roadtrip Nation.
[Roadtripper #1] Massachusetts welcomes you!
[Roadtripper #2] Oh snap!
[Roadtripper #3] Aww!
This is our last state!
[Roadtripper #2] The last-- [vuvuzela] [Roadtripper #3] It's our last one!
[Roadtripper #3] We are at the end of it all.
It's unbelievable.
It's wild.
Boom!
Six weeks are gone.
♪ [Roadtripper #2] Today is day 47 on the Road.
We've driven over 5,000 miles from Southern California to New England.
And we have interviewed 31 leaders.
[Roadtripper #1] In that process, I think we all figured out things about ourselves that we hadn't.
The Roadtrip definitely made me step out of my comfort zone, many times.
But it was fun.
It was fun to adapt yourself to a whole new situation.
Into a whole new type of living.
Am I going to miss the RV?
I think I will.
I definitely will miss the RV.
This is home.
[Megan] We sought out to travel to places we haven't been and talked to people we probably wouldn't have talked to otherwise.
And they have already shifted my perspective in a lot of ways.
These leaders are giving us such unbelievable advice.
Like these little sound bytes that are such dense wisdom nuggets that... those are incredibly valuable.
[male #1] In order to get good at anything, you have to sort of submit to someone else's tutelage and sort of railroad yourself into a system and discipline yourself.
And ultimately if you're going to do anything really good, you have to step outside of that and reject it and say "This was just a game that someone got me to play in order that I could start to get on my way."
You can't actually get going without speaking someone else's language first.
When you're a kid, all you do is, your parents point at things and they say, "plant."
And you say, "plant."
And you're imitating.
But everyone eventually says sentences that have never been uttered before in the history of humanity.
Everyone has, in principle and opportunity, sort of differentiated themselves into the person who's the best in the world at this thing that's never been done before, which is being them.
♪ [Zachariah] You don't know what you'll like until you've been out there and experienced it.
You light one match in a pitch black room.
And your eyes are already adjusted to darkness, you're used to that darkness.
You strike that one match, that whole room is going to light up.
That's what needs to happen.
We need to expose ourselves to all the light and opportunity possible.
I need to try as much as I can so I can actually have a good basis for what game I actually do want to play when my time comes.
[Megan] Beforehand, I would consider these leaders that we actually talk to to be on a pedestal far above me.
Unapproachable.
Be we had some incredible conversations with people who previously I never even would have considered trying to contact them via e-mail or on the phone.
And I sat in their office for two hours and they gave me water and drinks.
It just shrank the gap that I created in my head.
[male #1] If you're not scaring the hell out of yourself every once in a while, you're not close enough to the edge.
It's very difficult to go out and do something new.
It's much easier to say, "To get along, go along."
It's also kind of boring.
There are all these incredible adventures going on.
You have probably no idea where you're going to end up working in ten years, because a lot of the fields you're going to end up working in don't exist yet.
So in a lot of this stuff, you don't need permission to do it.
You just need to be looking for, "Okay, what's coming next?
And how do I get in front of this wave?"
And then you just have to surf it.
♪ [Zachariah] Got my prunes and my goggles.
What else could you need?
My book.
[Megan] Orthopedic shoes, maybe.
[Zachariah] My orange juice.
Book.
[Jackie] Sun screen.
[Zachariah] Sun screen.
[Megan] Sun screen.
[Megan] I guess Zachariah...
He's heard a good deal of people talk about the importance of delaying gratification.
And in the next two weeks he's going back to school.
And he has the complete wherewithal to do so well and totally excel.
That could be really interesting.
To return to the quotidian of your life before but be completely different about how you behave in that context.
I'm kind of jealous.
[Zachariah] I have ADD so bad!
But when I got out and interviewed these people, when I saw out my own ways of learning, I was enthralled for up to two hours without not one wandering of my mind not one time.
For all those kids out there that really think, "I just can't focus and study."
You probably can't just focus in the classroom.
And it sucks that you have to sit through it.
But then to take the time to figure out a way to stimulate yourself.
It's okay that I have ADD.
It's a powerful, powerful force that keeps me excited about every single thing that pops up.
Im not going to wake up and twiddle my thumbs anymore.
I'm going to write when I have free time.
I'm going to practice my Russian when I have free time.
I'm going to get caught up on all my stuff for this next quarter.
I'm going to thrive in the sciences now because the sciences are incredible and fascinating.
Zachariah is ready for action.
I'm so excited!
I'm so excited to put my money where my mouth is and just rock this world as hard as I can.
[Jackie] It feels like it was meant to be.
I could have taken the easy path.
But I didn't.
I crossed to this country.
And then I made it!
And then I'm flying to a completely new place and somehow I feel very comfortable.
Somehow.
Well, not somehow.
Because of the things that I've learned on the Road.
[Megan] Oh my god.
That was the last set of directions I wrote down for an interview.
[high five] [Megan] I feel weird.
[Jackie] Here we go!
[RV engine starts] ♪ [Jackie] So we are at our last interview.
We are talking to Lydia Villa-Kamaroff.
She has done a lot of research in biotechnology and biomedical.
She was also named one of the top 50 most influential Hispanics in the US.
I don't know.
I think she's awesome.
[Megan] Let's find out!
[Jackie] Yeah!
[elevator rings] [Megan] Hi, I'm Megan.
[Lydia] Hi, Megan.
[Jackie] Jackie.
Nice to meet you.
[Lydia] Nice to meet you.
[Zachariah] I'm Zachariah.
Nice to meet you.
[Zachariah] So what exactly is it that your company does?
And what do you kind of do here?
[Lydia] I'm the chief scientific officer now.
And I'm a member of the Board of Directors.
What we are doing is we are building a machine which will separate cells for therapeutic use.
For 30 years now, we can cure mice of cancer.
We can cure things like diabetes.
Other auto-immune diseases in mice.
It's really very wonderful.
Mice are small.
Humans are big.
So sorting enough cells to be able to do in humans what has been done in mice has not been easy.
Or even possible.
So what we're doing is building a machine that will do that.
♪ [Jackie] What were you like as a kid and what environment did you grow up in?
[Lydia] I grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
We moved there when I was nine.
Where my dad taught and my mother worked in the Welfare department.
I'm the eldest of six in a Mexican-American family.
They encouraged all of our interests.
I got interested in science at a very early age.
I was probably about nine, in the 3rd grade.
I was a tomboy.
I remember teaching my brother who's next in age to me.
Somebody was teasing him or beating him up or something.
So we went and found that guy and I showed him how to punch him in the nose.
Being a tomboy, I think was helpful, if you're going to be a woman in a non-traditional field, which science was, at the time.
I went to college at the University of Washington because I think I knew that I had to get outside of my comfort zone in order to see what I could do.
I went to graduate school at MIT.
And that was about forty-odd years ago.
[Zachariah] So what was it like when you went to MIT as a woman and a Hispanic?
You know, not very catering to those needs at that time?
[Lydia] There were faculty that weren't quite with the program.
I started out as a Chemistry major at the University of Washington.
And I didn't do very well in Chemistry.
It was really tough.
So I went to my advisor and he said, "Well, of course you're not doing very well.
Women don't belong in Chemistry."
And I was a freshman so I said, "Oh, okay."
So I went and changed my major.
And so I ended up as a biologist.
But I think what got me through was that I really, really did want to be a scientist.
I just had to tough it out.
Because in the end, there isn't anything that anyone does that doesn't have its challenges, or its hard days, or its really difficult times.
So you have to figure out what it is that you want to spend most of your time on so that most of your time there's something that really is rewarding going on.
That gets you through the hard times.
[Jackie] You mentioned earlier that you were interested in science since an early age.
I had kind of a similar...
I guess revelation.
That I wanted to be a Chemist, since I was 12 or 13.
But now, after I graduated, I'm having all these doubts about whether I really want to do it or not.
Did you ever feel that way?
[Lydia] Yeah.
So you have to try it.
You haven't done it yet.
So you cant know if you'll really like it or not.
And you have to ask yourself, "What does being a chemist mean?
"And what does it mean to me?
"What can I do as a chemist?
"How do I want to interact with the world?
What's my place in it?"
You know you want to do good in the world as well as do well for yourself.
And that's what really underlaid my desire to be a scientist.
But, this is really true, I'm sorry to say, there's really never any end to the questioning of "What should I do now?
"Next?
Am I doing the right thing?
Am I spending my time correctly?"
The only thing you really know is that time is limited.
We are not immortal.
And so you have to do the things that will make you feel good.
But it turns out that human beings don't really thrive when they are not expending effort.
[Zachariah] Hmm.
[Jackie] So we saw that you were named under the top 50 most influential Hispanics in the US.
How did that feel?
[Lydia] Oh, it was a great honor.
And a surprise.
I became aware...
I mean, I was always Hispanic, obviously.
It was pretty evident.
But near the end of my graduate career, I gave my first scientific paper at the federation meetings which was a gigantic meeting.
There were thousands of people there.
And when I was going through the program book, there was a little notice that said that some Mexican-American scientists would be getting together to talk about being Mexican-American scientists.
So I went to this meeting and it turned out that all of the Mexican-American and Native American scientists were in that room.
There were 17 people.
And I said, "Wow.
"Why are we so few?
This is ridiculous.
Seventeen?"
So those of us in that room, over a period of time, developed a program called SACNAS.
[Jackie] No way!
You created SACNAS?
[Lydia] I'm one of the 25 founders, yeah.
[Jackie] Oh my god!
Thank you!
[Zachariah] Catch us up!
What is that?
[Lydia] SACNAS is the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science.
So in that room what we talked about was why are there so few of us?
And so we decided that what we needed to do was to bring students together to let them know that, "We're scientists.
You can be scientist, too!"
And it's been a good source of support for us.
For those of us who have been involved with it.
[Jackie] I am a member of that society.
And I was talking to one of the founders!
And at that moment, when she was like, "I created SACNAS."
I was like, "You did what?"
That was so awesome!
Because she had touched many lives.
And I got this example of someone who has changed the world in so many ways.
She is awesome in her research, but she also cared about people and made a difference in people's lives.
Including mine.
And that was so powerful to me.
To see, "Jackie, look at the example.
Now you can make a difference, too."
[Lydia] Kids need to see somebody that looks like them.
Otherwise, they close doors that they don't even know are there.
Role modeling is really important.
You need to know that there is someone out there who has succeeded at something that you might want to do, and furthermore, that that person is like you.
With many of the same insecurities, and some of the same backgrounds, and whatever.
So I think this project is so interesting and important because you're talking to these people and you're finding out that, you know, you've just been around longer.
We went to school longer, but we're actually people.
[Jackie] My mom would always say, "You're a role model."
And I'm like, "No mom, I'm not a role model.
No, no, no.
Don't throw that at me, okay?"
Once I decided that I wanted to go to UTEP, my little cousins were like, "You're doing that?
That is so cool!"
So that's when I started realizing, somebody's looking up to me.
I think I had just been in this drag of all this stress that was going on that it was making me reconsider whether I was on the right path and whether I really loved Chemistry.
But then, as I started talking to the leaders, it was like, well, I can make a change.
I can make a change in myself.
I can make a change in my family.
And I can probably also make a change in the field.
And I think I'll be able to do it.
[Zachariah] The process of defining your Road isn't a one-way, one-time thing where you sit down and define it.
You go down and it's defining how you want to go down all the different Roads that are available.
And that goes on the micro-scale and the day-to-day basis, and it goes to the macro-scale.
Planning out how I want to do things is just being open serendipity.
Just being open to the opportunities around me and staying focused on the things I need to do.
[Megan] My initial reaction to the question, "What can I take away from this experience?"
would be the fact that this experience doesn't necessarily need to be contextualized in the seven-week RV trip.
Because really the only thing that we did was find someone that inspires us and ask for an hour of their time.
And that does not need to end.
And I can continue to do that forever, in any environment I'm in.
[rustling] [Camera man #1] Zachariah, what are you guys doing?
[Zachariah] Packing!
[Camera man #1] Will you put that in a complete thought?
[Zachariah] I'm packing!
[Zachariah] I like being sad because means that you had something you were happy about.
And that's a blessing.
[Megan] Oh, I like that.
[Zachariah] I've never washed it in two years.
Doesn't smell bad.
Don't act like it does.
Don't act like it does.
It's jut been in a closet forever.
[Megan] That does not smell good, at all.
[Zachariah] It doesn't smell bad.
[Jackie] Definitely there were some days when I was like, "Gosh!
No, the RV!
"I need my space!
I need another room or something!"
But I think the main thing that I've learned from them, from both of them, is that you can be yourself with almost anyone.
And you don't need to come and pretend to be someone and then once you kind of break the shell, then you can be yourself.
[Megan] Zachariah.
Is that yours?
[Zachariah] That's mine.
Those are mine, too.
I found these in New York, guys!
Did I tell you that?
[Megan] You found them?
[Zachariah] Yeah, they were on top of a newsstand.
[Megan] This New York trip?
[Zachariah] This New York trip.
Manhattan.
I found these in Manhattan.
I tried them on, and they fit!
[Jackie] (laughs) [Megan] Congratulations.
[Zachariah] Thank you.
[Megan] The RV became a huge scrapbook.
I think the power in the RV having all these different signatures and images is how quickly they trigger the memories of the full days.
And the fact that you can look around and you can see a signature or a piece of loose-leaf paper and that will be enough to totally immerse you right back in all the crazy, interesting, profound experiences that we had that day.
So I think knowing who wrote those words and what context it was in, is really powerful.
[writing] [Jackie] "Within every moment, enjoy the uncertainty "and the understanding that it's about to become something "greater than yourself.
Allow yourself to grow "by making mistakes and overcoming failure.
"It's not bad to fail.
What's bad is accepting "that you failed.
Don't fall into that.
"Don't just leave a mark.
Leave a path "for others to follow and be inspired by.
"Because you are awesome.
"Go out and explore.
See what's out there "and don't be afraid.
No one has it easy.
"Enjoy that you're part of a learning society "and that the world is changing.
"Be part of the change, not of the audience.
"Strive for magnificence.
"Enjoy the change and cultivate growth.
"This is an awesome journey.
"Enjoy the Road, friendship, and the stress!
"Jackie Gamboa.
Team TBD.
Green RV 2012."
[Megan] You can crush my head.
I don't even care.
[Jackie] (laughs) [Zachariah] Thanks for being so amazing.
[Zachariah] Definitely feeling like being a part of something real for the first time in my life.
So...
It's amazing.
I got to have Jackie and Megan and the nonexistent, omniscient eyes that are always watching, Dan and Willie.
My two best friends ever.
Yeah, those guys!
[Megan] In most regards, it's bittersweet.
Because it is sad to leave this new home we've created and these new friendships that we've formed.
And just... the idea that we've gotten so used to this being our day to day life.
But in a lot of ways, it's exciting because it doesn't necessarily mean an ending.
It's a beginning.
It's opening a lot of doors.
And it's opening a lot of ways of thinking.
So I think the fact that this experience is coming to an end is sad.
But the fact that I can apply everything I've learned and everything I've achieved.
That's good motivation to stop driving around the country.
(laughs) It's good motivation to get settled in a way that I can start doing.
♪ [male #1] Just push to begin.
[male #2] You're recording again?
[female #1] Does this thing record sound?
[male #3] Where's the zoom on this thing?
[male #4] How do you push stop on this thing?
[male #4] How do you hit 'record' off?
♪ [male #3] Uh... Hey Mike, where's the keyhole?
[clap clap] Go RV!
[RV engine starts] What kind of pressure did you feel?
From like family and friends?
Where are the people who really love doing what they're doing?
You've got to take a moment, everyone does, Where they say, 'Wait a minute.
Who am I living this life for?"
[RV scrapes against tree] My parents thought I just lost my mind.
Myself, my older brother, my best friend are heading out across the states.
I've never even tasted anything from New Mexico.
And I'm about to go there.
Follow that little whisper that's in your heart.
That's the one.
Do you have any wisdom for us?
Just remember, you're huge and powerful.
I was making absolutely no money.
And I was so happy.
I like to make pots!
Four, three, two, one... Ahh!
I need to discover myself.
I just need to.
Your heart is like a GPS system.
You don't know where you're going.
And that's the scary part about it.
Get out!
He said get out!
[siren] It's bigger than an RV.
Something is happening to you all.
This is all part of an evoluation that's building you to go somewhere.
Commit, and then figure it out.
[applause] Wahh!
[rain] Definitely feeling like being a part of something real for the first time in my life.
[female narrator #4] If you're living a life you love and want to share your story with the next generation, or if you're looking to define your own Road, head to Roadtripnation.com to join the movement.
