For most college students, dreams may seem impossible, but that doesn’t mean they are. For Helio Castroneves, he was able to work hard and achieve these dreams, and in a discussion with Michael David Hutchins at the Sander’s Speakers Series, he advised college students to do the same.

The Sander’s Speakers Series is a yearly event hosted in the Ogle Center at IUS, and is a discussion with someone well known or famous. 

At this year’s event, four time Indianapolis 500 and Dancing with the Stars champion Helio Castroneves spoke about his life, his experiences, and how he got into racing.

He talks about how he started out in a small town in Brazil, and discusses one instance where he was motivated to do better. This happened when he came home from a race that he placed fourth in, and a kid said something along the lines of “you got fourth but not first?” which Castroneves admitted pushed him to do better, and he later came home with first place.

Castroneves also discusses how he went through multiple hard patches of his life, including how his family business went bankrupt, which this setback and more made him question if racing was really for him.

Despite these challenges, he pushed through and became successful. Castroneves states that  you have to find something you can make a living off of that you love and succeed in, and that you need to have people who want you to succeed and see you have the talent from afar. He suggests that you need to surround yourself with good people who might be able to help you succeed. 

And other than finding people who support you and your one passion, Castroneves talks about stepping outside of your comfort zone and having an open mind when it comes to doing new things, which is exactly why he joined Dancing with the Stars.

“We have to be able to adapt to the world but it can be hard, but it’s worthwhile to open your mind and take a chance,” which is exactly what he did.

Other than achieving these things in his lifetime, he also talked about different stories at the event, such as assuming the two milks someone brought out to him after winning the Indy 500 for the second time were to honor wins for both races instead of being a choice for him, and the importance of not changing your facial expressions on the dance floor when you mess up. 

Castroneves also discusses the importance of being too important to not believe in yourself, and how you may not have “the biggest office,” but you have an office nonetheless, and that work ethic, time, and dedication pays off in the end.

Overall, Castroneves tells students to go for it. He tells them that if they can put their mind to it, they can achieve their goals and dreams.

“Do what you want with love, go for it, do it one hundred percent, and trust yourself.”

The Sanders Speaker Series is named for IU Southeast alumnae Judge Carlton and Sue Sanders. It was their vision to bring world-class speakers and content experts to the IU Southeast campus to address issues in the community and inspire others