News Story

GARLAND, TX- ILTexas hosted another successful Leadership Speaker Series at ILTexas Garland High School on Wednesday, where students and staff welcomed Perot Group Chairman and Dallas native, Ross Perot Jr. 

Prior to the event, Perot Jr. toured ILTexas Garland K-8 where he had the opportunity to learn more about ILTexas and its unique mission. 

At the high school, Perot Jr. answered questions from the student hosts and shared advice on how to be a great leader. 

When asked who has had the biggest influence on his life, he mentioned his father, the late famed business magnate, Ross Perot.

“I’ve had incredible leaders throughout my life, but I was able to live with my hero: my father,” he said. “He was an incredible leader, incredible motivator, and so I grew up with the man I wanted to be like with his leadership skill.”

Perot Jr., who served in the United States Air Force and co-piloted the first helicopter flight around the globe at the age of 23, also shared the importance of team-building, which was key to his early accomplishments. 

As for his top leadership trait? Integrity. “You need to have people who are honest, and you need people to know they can depend on you,” Perot Jr. said, in addition to following the golden rule. “Treat everyone like how you want to be treated. . .You keep those two things in mind and you’re going to do well in this world.”

For the student co-hosts, the Leadership Speaker Series has been a great way to speak to influential people and learn important leadership skills. 

“This is my third Leadership Speaker Series,” said student co-host Sheldon Williams, a senior at ILTexas Lancaster-Desoto High School. “I like them because I can learn from people who are older than me [and] more experienced.”

Joyce Adewale, another student co-host and senior at ILTexas Katy-Westpark High School, shared the same sentiment.

“I like the fact that we have different kinds of speakers and we’re always looking for new perspectives and new views,” she said. “It's nice to see that the things we’re learning in school at ILTexas are being incorporated into real life jobs and our leadership traits that we use.”

*The Leadership Speaker Series is an ILTexas student-run production.