MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — Students at Oak Hill Middle School heard from Olympic silver medalist Terrence R. Trammell on Tuesday during an assembly.
“You know, if just one person was reached, then I’ve done my job,” Trammell said.
Trammell is a retired American track and field athlete who won the silver medal in the 110-meter hurdles at both the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics and three silver medals at the World Championships.
He has connections to Central Georgia through the eighth grade administrator at Oak Hill, Jeremiah Bundrage, who was a teacher and coach at both the middle and high schools that Trammell attended.
He gave a motivational speech about how he chased his dreams of becoming an Olympian and told students that they, too, can reach their own dreams through hard work and self-love.
Trammell says that he hopes the students understand that they each have greatness inside of them. He says it's up to the community -- that includes celebrities, teachers and parents -- to pull a student's potential out of them.
He says that middle school is the age where things can go right or left for students. He wants to be an example that students can achieve anything they want to.
He also wanted students to know that they didn’t need outside validation for what they wanted for themselves. He said that while validation from others is good, he wants students to be able to reply on themselves and their ability to go for the things they want.
Trammell said that his main message Tuesday was about being a tangible example of what happened when people put their mind to something and execute their plans.
“I think that it's very important today for the youth of this time to understand that they do have unique qualities and that there's something that they have that the world should know, and they can inspire greatness and continue to pay that forward,” he said.
Bundrage says that he and other administrators are always looking for speakers to come to the school and will continue to host inspiring guests.
To keep up with Trammell, you can check out his personal Instagram or his nonprofit speed development and coaching organization on Instagram.
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