M-I SWACO MUDSLINGERS Member Spotlight: Mario Bouguetta

Mario Bougeutta  (center) with the new members in 2011

This is the second installment of our M-I Mudslingers Member Spotlight.  This time, Mario Bouguetta was selected as our featured member. Mario was recently promoted as Manager of Technical Service Engineers. He has worked for M-I SWACO for 9 years. He joined M-I SWACO Mudslingers in September 2011.  Since then, he has delivered his Ice Breaker Speech, participated in several roles, and has baked us a mean bread pudding (which he kindly gave me the recipe for). Please welcome Mario Bouguetta to the Spotlight.

Carolina: Hi, Mario. Good Morning. Thanks for meeting with me so early in the morning.  First things first, why Toastmasters?

Mario: Well, that is Carolina’s fault (chuckles). (Yes, I did a good job of pestering him into it!)  Also, I wanted to network and communicate in English better.

Carolina: All very admirable reasons to join Toastmasters.  I always say we get to learn a lot about our coworkers in Toastmasters. A long that line, please give us a thumbnail sketch of yourself.

Mario: Well, I am multi-lingual (Mario speaks 5 languages), multi-cultural. I was born to an Algerian mom and an Italian dad. I moved to Canada.  I also met my wife, Mary, while in Mud School.  I was married in Canada. My wife absolutely hated the cold (in Canada) and she was homesick. We moved back to Houston in 2007. My wife just received her nursing degree and I was just recently promoted.

Carolina: Yes, I remember you telling us about her graduation. I also remember how proud you were of her accomplishment. A lot of good things have happened to you this year. My next question is what is your favorite part of Toastmasters?

Mario: I really like the Table Topics portion of the meeting. It is very funny.

Carolina: Here is the part where I ask you several questions about your favorite things. Ready?

Mario: Yes.

Carolina: Ok. Here we go.  What is your favorite color?

Mario: Hhhhhmmmm. I don’t really have one (ponders).  I guess I would have to say blue if I had to pick.

Carolina: What is your favorite childhood memory?

Mario: Sitting and looking at the Mediterranean Sea, walking along the peaceful beach. I also like to remember my grandma cooking traditional dishes and me being her backup singer. 

Carolina:  How cute! Those are both really nice memories. What is your favorite recent memory?

Mario: Witnessing Mary’s graduation ceremony. I loved seeing her wear her cap and gown. She made such a big career change. She went from being an investment banker to being a nurse to care for her family as they age.

Carolina: What is your favorite saying?

Mario: Don’t have one of those either. Hmmmm (ponders again). “May the force be with you.”

Carolina: (laughing): That is a good one! Ok, now the final question: You are stranded on an island for one year. What five items do you take with you?

Mario: Wow. For one year? Hmmm. I guess I would take my Wilson volleyball (get it? Castaway), fishing net, shaving tools (why???), picture of my dog Rico, and (with some prodding from me) my wife, Mary.

While we as Toastmasters get to learn a little more about our coworkers at each meeting through manual speeches, Table Topic speeches, and casual conversation, by also conducting The Spotlight we get to learn even more about them and share it on our website. This way, people interested in joining Toastmasters can see just who is joining the club. Mario was once one of those people. Now, he is a Mudslinger.

What I really like about this interview is I was able to see a side of management that is often overlooked, the human side.  From talking to Mario, it was obvious he adores his wife and regards his dog as man’s best friend. He even had a picture of Rico on his book shelf, which he proudly showed me. More than that even with his promotion he still continues to be humble enough to want to work on his communication skills through Toastmasters. 

In the words of John F. Kennedy,” Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other. “There is no doubt that Mario Bouguetta has this mantra working for him and maybe, just maybe, this will be a new favorite quote of his.