Message to Incoming RHS Freshmen: “Don’t Hold Back”

He’s known as “The Dream Achiever.” And when A’ric Jackson finished speaking with members of the Romeoville High School Class of 2017 Friday, he left after urging every eighth-grader in the room to “walk out of these doors to be the best person this school, this community, this world has ever seen.”

Jackson, an Atlanta-based author and motivational speaker, was part of an all-day “step-up” program for A. Vito Martinez and Lukancic Middle School students that included group discussions with current RHS students, some team-building games and lots of details about what life at RHS will be like for next fall’s freshmen.

“It all starts with mindset. You gotta have mindset,” Jackson said. “If you want to get far in life, you gotta start giving 110. Take action now. Stop talking about it. Do it. Don’t hold back.”

Jackson urged the eighth-graders to:

• “Be real with yourself. Don’t act like someone you’re not. Walk out of here with your head up or you’ll see opportunities pass you by because you don’t think you’re good enough.”
• “Stop wasting your time on haters. The world is overwhelmed with people walking around trying to be somebody else just so someone will like them.  If you have friends who can’t accept you for who you are, it’s time to get some new friends.”
• “Make a difference. You don’t have to wait until you’re an adult to make a difference.”     
• “Don’t you dare stop being you,” Jackson said. “And don’t you dare stop going after what you want.”   

Editor's note: This article was submitted by Valley View School District 365U.