A Beautiful Nightmare: The Man Who Believed Before I Did

By Antonio Pantoja

When I was seventeen, I was doing what so many Hispanics like me do. I was a laborer, working nights with a crew that had been hired to paint the inside of an office building. We worked from seven in the evening until two in the morning so as not to disturb the people who worked there.

I remember walking through those cubicles, studying the framed photos of families, drawings from children, vacation snapshots pinned to fabric walls. I stood there thinking how lucky these people were. Lucky to have jobs worth decorating. Lucky to have a place with air conditioning and carpet and clean break rooms. I remember thinking that if anyone ever gave me the chance, I would be grateful just to empty the trash in a building like that. 

Five years passed. Life shifted. I walked back into that same building for an interview. I caught my reflection in the glass doors and barely recognized myself. It was the first time I had ever dressed nicely in my entire life. The building was so beautiful. I whispered to myself, “If they give me a chance, I will outwork every person in this building.” They gave me that chance when no one else would. And I kept my promise. 

On my first day of training, I was taken to an awards ceremony. That was the moment I met Lee Kiper. He stood in front of all of the employees with his diverse leadership team, handing plaques and shaking hands. I watched minorities of every background walk up proudly in front of their peers. I had never seen anything like it. Where I came from, people like us did not usually get celebrated. Yet here, every single person was treated with respect. No one was overlooked. No one felt small. No one was invisible. 

Lee noticed work ethic immediately. It was like a sixth sense. Because of that, we grew close. His words became my compass. His approach to leadership became my blueprint. He led with care. He led with humility. He led with honesty and a kindness that was never performative. He meant every word he ever said.

There was a time he had more than a hundred employees, and in his office he created a wall he called “Dreamville”. At the top he wrote the name boldly. Beneath it, everyemployee wrote their name and their dream. Some dreamed of owning a home. Others dreamed of seeing their child again. Some just wanted to get back on their feet. Lee sat with each one and helped them formulate a plan to accomplish that dream. No dream was too big. None were too small. And the beautiful truth is that most of them reached their dream faster than they expected. Ask Lee about any person on that wall and he could tell you instantly where they were on their journey.

He cared that deeply.

I remember him standing in front of our team one day and asking each of us, “Are you happy?” He followed it with, “You can say no. If you are not happy, we can fix it. We can work on a plan together.” No boss had ever spoken to me like that. No leader had ever looked at me and genuinely wanted to know how my heart was doing. 

And the truth was simple. I was happy. I was grateful to be there. I never forgot what it meant to be given a chance after dreaming of nothing more than taking out the trash in that building. I knew that if I succeeded, it meant someone else like me could succeed too. 

Lee did not become this kind of leader by accident. His mother, Lynn Rippy, founded YouthBuild, now Blueprint 502. It has changed the lives of thousands of young adults who grew up without support or opportunity. The organization helps them earn a diploma, learn a trade, and enter a stable career. Their success rate is incredible because they lead the way Lee leads. They lead with compassion. They lead with dignity. They lead with belief. 

This is what a ripple effect looks like. 

If you have ever heard me give a speech, you have heard a Lee Kiper quote. I carry his words with me the way some people carry heirlooms. And I am not the only one. There are hundreds of people out there shaped by him. People who found confidence because he saw them before they saw themselves. People who rose because he told them they could. 

When I lost my father, Lee was the first one there. 

When I gave my first speech, Lee was in the audience. 

When I had a heart attack, I called Lee. 

When I lost my mother, Lee showed up and brought food to the funeral. 

I am only one of those hundreds who this man has helped. But my life is better because our paths crossed. And I will be forever grateful that they did. 

It just takes one person to believe in you even when you don’t believe in yourself to change your entire trajectory. 

“A single candle can eradicate darkness. Be that candle”