Introduction

To build a community, it is important to provide a back story. This about page will provide an ever-changing look into the story behind my Portal al Éxito. It is important to know that I have lived for the last ten years in Puerto Rico. I am know fluent (except writing) in Spanish. From what I have heard it is surprising that I have been able to learn Spanish as an adult. Through both high school and college I never took one foreign language credit.

My best theory for this accomplishment has two parts. First I lived in Madrid Spain for three years as a very small boy. Between the ages of two and five I lived with my family at Torrejon Air Force Base where my father was stationed. I can;t really remember much from those years, I do recall some situations where I might have heard Spanish, but it couldn’t have been significant. Second, after a life spent learning different programming languages , maybe my mind has adjusted to the task of learning language syntax, so that Spanish was just another set of rules. In the end, I think it was just a good positive attitude and the willingness to try. Most people are afraid of making mistakes, although embarrassing at times (especially when my young daughter corrects my Spanish) I just try my best and prevent fear from hindering my progress.

Anyway, while looking for a brand for myself a couple of years ago I decided that success should be my primary focus. So I thought it would be appropriate to embrace both the Internet and Spanish cultures by using the Spanish word for success, exito. Well of course that domain was taken and many like it. Thinking phonetically exito is pronounced with a mostly silent e, much like just pronouncing X, and then “ito” is about the same. The c was added in to give a little more Latin rhythm. So portal is the exact same word and fairly close pronunciation in both English and Spanish. Thus I finally settled on Kevin’s Success Portal, which of course in Spanish is Portal al Éxito.

Resume

I currently have two resumes available. I have a traditional chronological resume, but I also have a new form of resume, which I call my story. It is my attempt to add more of myself into my resume. After years of looking at the same resume, I couldn’t bear trying to make the impersonal traditional template communicate who is Kevin Shockey. So I wrote a story that carries more of the emotion and passion that make me unique. I’m sure that everyone will want to write their own story soon, but until then just think of me as one who chose the path least traveled.

Articles

My current bibliography is available here.

Most Influential

Through the source of each our lives there are always points of reference and relationships that through the years we attach significance. In this section I’ll share all of the experiences and people that I believe have most influenced my life. For now this is in some subconscious sort order, and I’ll leave it at that.

• October 1986 – I consistently look back at my father’s death as a pivotal point in my life. Even though I had already graduated college, received my commission in the U.S. Army, and taken a wife, it was my father’s passing that made me a man. I knew from that point on, I was on my own. I had always consulted him on everything. When he was no longer available, my decisions took on more significance. This was my life and I was going to be held accountable. I was forced to take decision making serious, I was forced to think clearly about what is important, and and ensure my decisions reflected that analysis.
• October 1988 – I almost die while attending an Army training. That sounds serious, but it really had nothing to do with the Army training. While sitting in class my small intestine burst. By evening I was running a temperature over 103 degrees from peritonitis. I was rushed to the emergency room and quickly into the operating room. What was a suspected burst appendix turned out to be advanced Crohn’s disease. I know I came close to dying, because many years my wife’s cousin died of the exact same situation. I’ve got some more writing to do right now, but I’ll get back to this.

Version 0.3 – Added Introduction and links to the other sections
Version 0.2 – Outline added
Version 0.1 – Test of about page