Television reporter/producer Fadocia Nole Hall invited a group of students to the front with her during the induction ceremonies for the new Lewisburg Leaders Hall of Fame. She made the following remarks:
It's a good thing we didn't have cell phones when I was in school because for sure Mr, Birdwhistlell would have confiscated mine and accessed my text messages. You know back then we passed notes that said, "Do you like me, check yes or no." I guess you guys just do hash tag " # talking on FaceTime."
I'm really so grateful you invited me to be here and I just wanted to share a couple of quick stories.
My husband and I were in an argument one day (yes, that happens when you're married and it's okay) but we were yelling at each other and at some point he yelled at me and said, "You just go from great thing to great thing." The argument stopped when I looked at him and said, "You're right, I do" and then I asked him what exactly was wrong with that? I urge each of you right now, no matter where you want to go, or what you want to do, always have the kind of passion and desire that will take you from great thing to great thing!
When I left Lewisburg to head up to Western, I couldn't wait for my first broadcast news class. I already knew what I wanted to do because the teachers here had helped guide me. So I declared my major in Broadcast News and Public Affairs with a minor in Mass Communications. The day finally came for my first class and the room was packed. I had never been in a class that large before, and it was scary and intimidating. Then the professor walked behind the podium, looked out at all of us and said, "Only two of you will actually get a job on television." My heart started pounding and then I looked around to see who else it would be besides me.
It wasn't easy? As old rock and roll singer John Kay of Steppenwolf once said, "Success at any price demands it's sacrifice." And it wasn't just my sacrifice. I want my mom, Geneva Bilbrey, to stand up. She not only supported me financially but did my laundry every weekend.
And finally I have a couple of things I want to show you. I wanted this Emmy award so bad and mainly because my husband had a whole bunch of them and I just wanted this one. It's all dusty now and we joke at our house that it would make a good weapon if someone broke in. But here's the reason I brought it. It doesn't mean any more to me than this cheerleading trophy I got here in Lewisburg, I wanted it so bad at the time. And I know God has even more planned for my life.
Another old singer songwriter Harry Chapin once said, " It's got to be the going, not the getting there, that is good. " Enjoy every step of the journey! Go from great thing to great thing.
Go forward with passion. Ask God to put on your heart His purpose for your life, talk with your parents and teachers and then go out and make all your fellow Rangers proud. You can do it! We know you can do it!
Students shown are Brady Alsup, Makayla Strode, Reece Sears, Abby Hinton, Hayley Schweers, Monica Hines, Addie White, Ana Nash, Cheyenne Nash, Olivia Fuller, Emily Borders, Samuel Corum, Wilson Boggess and Hannah Goss.