Today we’d like to introduce you to Raymond Ayala.
Hi Raymond, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m from a small, rural town north east of Austin, TX. I first came to the Houston area by attending Sam Houston State University in 2009. After graduation I went to work as an educator in Aldine ISD where I worked at a Title one school, that served a high Hispanic population. While being an educator I decided to go back and work towards my Masters’ Degree which I earned in 2018. I was a teacher/coach for the first five years of my teaching career, I recently decided to stop coaching, for the time being, but still continuing to educate. I am awaiting my Principal Certification so I can better serve the entire campus. I recently received my Real Estate License so I can help others get their dream home. I find peace in helping others, that is my main purpose in life, to help others achieve their dreams.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road to where I’m at would not be descried as smooth by any means. At all. But it was necessary, in high school and in my little town I was unexposed to the challenges of the world that would have prepared me to the pitfalls of the world. I was cocky, big headed and thought I was untouchable. My sophomore year in college is when the world showed me how cold and harsh things can be when you do not take care of your priorities. I decided to get an apartment with some friends and after not handling my finances, I found myself homeless, for over four and a half months, I slept wherever I could, I thank the Lord I have great friends that could take me in, let me shower or wash my clothes when possible, I hit rock bottom one night when I had nowhere to go and the only place I could go was a park in Huntsville, TX it was around 2:30 A.M when a police car pulled up and was wondering what I was doing there, I broke down and cried and told the police officers I had nowhere to go, I remember them asking me If I thought I was going to harm myself and I told them, “No, I love myself too much for that”, and it was in that moment that I reminded myself that I love myself too much to stay in the position I was in, that I deserved more, even though I didn’t at like it. I adopted the motto “HTD” Which stood for ‘Homeless to Diplomas”. I have HTD engraved on the inside of my SHSU ring that I look at every now and again to remind myself of what is on the other side of making a bad decision that could jeopardize everything I’ve worked for. It is with this mindset that I carry in the classroom every day when I’m talking to my students and trying to get across to them how important financial literacy is, and the sense of urgency you must have about setting yourself up for success.
During my time of being homeless I did not have support from my family, my parents were going through a divorce and my siblings were getting their careers and families started so I hid it from them being ashamed of where I was at, I did not tell anybody but my close friends. I was also interning for the SHSU Football team, so I was not getting paid but I knew that one day it would pay off. When I finally got my own apartment I decided to make a change in my life. I got a fulltime job working at nights at a prison in Huntsville, while being a fulltime student, while being a fulltime-intern for the football team. So my day would start at 8:30 A.M going to class to about noon, then I would go to the field house and practice until about 4:30, I would then hurry to my apartment and get to work at 5:15 where I would work until 6 A.M and do it all over again and take naps here and there when I could. I was in full grind mode; I now have a sense of urgency and mindfulness to put my priorities first and feel fulfillment by that. College for some is the best or worst time in their life, college for me saved my life, it snapped me out of the fairy tale I was living in and showed me real life, I am beyond thankful for going and wouldn’t change anything the tiniest bit.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a Teacher/Coach and a Real Estate Agent. I teach a class called “Principles of Business, Marketing & Finance” where I get to teach students about how the world operates and there is nothing more I love than this class. Using my past experiences I get to shape their mind about what to expect, how to maneuver in this ever changing world of business, and what they can do to avoid making the same mistakes I made, a quote that stuck with me is, “To be old and wise you first must be young and stupid”, and let me tell you I am wise beyond my years now. I love teaching, I honestly feel like God put me here to help this next generation of adults. I am also a Real Estate Agent in Houston, TX I love helping people find their dream home and helping them gain financial freedom.
It is so important to me because of what I went through to make this happen for people. There are a few things I am most proud of in my work, for one, my first year coaching high school football my team went 10-o in the regular season and won a district championship, in college as an intern we went to two national championship football games, and as a realtor I closed my first deal to help a former colleague of mine buy and build her dream home. I would say I’m known most for being a real, personable individual that is flexible, and can fit in and talk to anybody in any room. I love to learn and ask as many questions to try and gain whatever I can from anybody I meet.
What are your plans for the future?
I am currently awaiting the results from my principal certification, I would love to have my own campus one day to help guide an entire school, being an Athletic Director is the next step after that, sports help shaped my mentality to be a go getter and I am a firm believe that sport saves life’s. I would also love to become a broker of my own real estate company to help other agents help their clients. I want to stay in the education and real estate field, I believe those two are my niche and I couldn’t be happier.
Contact Info:
- Email: rayala@movehou.com
- Website: https://raymond.movehou.com
- Instagram: raymondayala_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ray.ayala.948011/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/RayAyala_
- Other: linqapp.com/raymond_ayala
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