Vanessa Gibson, the Bronx Borough President, shared her vision of success with student council representatives from Lehman Campus in the library on Feb. 26.

“Your zip code can never define your destiny,’’ she said. “If you want to be good at something, be the best at it.”

She added, “You might look around and see that nobody at that table looks like you. You may be the first, but you should not be the last.”

A lot like student councils, Gibson says she works to make the Bronx a better place for all. “I want to raise the standard, not just during election time but all the time,’’ she said.

“Being an elected official is an honor, but I didn’t get here by myself,’’ she said, praising a mentor who she interned for before being running for Bronx Borough President.

Emalee Charles, a 10th grader, found the speech inspiring. “When she was talking about her mentor that really stuck with me; people don’t always like to help each other and knowing that she had someone that helped her and how she wants to do the same was really sweet and shows how your actions can really impact others.”

Scarlette Manzanarez, Bronx River’s student council president, loved Gibson’s visit. “I thought that she had an amazing powerful voice; she’s strong-willed and very inspirational. She was talking to us human to human, rather than adult to student.”

Scarlette added, “She’s the first woman, and woman of color, to be in her position so it was very empowering to hear her words.”

Gibson provided words of encouragement to students who hoped to accomplish big things. “You show them better than you tell them,” she said. “The key to your success is  _  guess what  _ yourself.”