“If anyone is looking for a presentation that motivates students, this is it. I am very confident that Tony’s message hit home with a number of our students here in Hayward. It was time well spent”
Back in the spring I was honored with a speaking opportunity at the Wisconsin State Opioid Forum. These events are always great opportunities to not only share my personal experience with opioids and prescription pain killers but also an opportunity for me to meet and make contacts with agencies around an entire state that would be interested in bringing me into their respective areas to speak with the youth. LCO Behavioral Health was once such contact that I made back in the spring as a result of my presentation there.
They brought me out to give three presentations to local high school and middle school students. Hayward High School was the biggest of all the presentations and I gotta say this. I landed in Minneapolis Minnesota and drove over to Wisconsin and driving through Wisconsin was a lot of country and trees, like a A LOT of trees! I always find it interesting in the middle of America States how the speed limits are set up. Being from California, we are all certainly in a hurry to get places, which is the exact opposite of these parts. Single lane roads, 25mph speed limits through the towns and the sheriff is likely the chief of police, prosecutor, judge and the jury haha. I don’t actually mean that last part but you get the idea. The cities are very small and the communities are very STRONG. The strength and involvement of these communities is what makes these trips so unique and so impactful to me!
Hayward High had about 500 students in a beautiful gym. When getting to speak with the administration for this campus they were very involved in keeping up on the school and it’s appearance, this was clear. That also tells me that the students would be extremely respectful which they were. There was one student who was disinterested in my speech and it always breaks my heart when there is a student like this because they are missing their opportunity to hear life changing words that could set them on a new path with better outcomes. I spoke with the student after to let him know where i was coming from in calling him out in front of students and that I didn’t want him to make the same mistakes I made in my life. Afterwards, tons of kids, at least half of the students followed me on social media which is a great percentage to reach. Lots of questions in my direct message box, i’m still getting back to them days later! Overall it was a great success, thank you LCO!
