Breakfast for Champions

Today, I spoke at Children’s Charter School. They invited me to be the guest speaker for their honors program. I felt delighted! I arrived an hour early and read a snippet of my book to the kids. Breakfast for all of the honor students in grades K-5 started at 10 a.m. Parents packed the place with cameras and gifts. And the energy was high. It was a cool experience for me.

Here is the transcript of my empowering speech:

First, I want to commend you all on a job well done.
As a matter of fact, I think this needs to be taped for 106 & Park because you don’t see this often. Brilliance is not celebrated often in this society.
But, let me tell you guys, around the world they celebrate their honor students.
Right now, it’s a 13-year-old boy at Morehouse College with three majors.
That’s three major subjects he’s studying and he’s making top grades.
I think that’s amazing!

The way you got here this morning, studying, doing extra homework; I want you to stay on that path. Whatever you did, keep doing it.

I also want to encourage you to find the smartest kid in your class and hang out with them. Because you’re good now, but hanging out with the smartest kid in your class will make you better.

And if you are the smartest kid, you hang out with some older kids who are smarter; some of the richest people in the world told me that advice.

We, but, well, everyone in this room; I don’t want us just to be rich, we need to be wealthy. There’s a difference. Rich is just financial. Wealthy is when you leave here and go find your friend who didn’t make the honor roll and you encourage them. Help them to get here too, for next semester. That way, the top is not so lonely.

That’s exactly what someone in this room did with me. And trust me, I am mightily grateful. I was doing everything but the right thing. And he (Mr. Williams) came, he didn’t just tell me, ‘I am wrong’, ‘I am wrong’, he spent time with me. He tutored me in math and science. Whatever I needed help in, he helped me. We even had fun. When he went to the movies or the skating ring with his friends, he took me too.

That showed me that you can make the honor roll and have fun. It became the blueprint for my work ethic. Work hard, you get to play hard. But, keep it on repeat.

And for that, I am eternally grateful. When I am sitting next to Oprah, he’s (Mr. Williams) going to be right there with me.

Last, Be nice to everyone because you never know who they will be.
Continue to work hard. Be blessed. And thank you.

[End transcript]

My very first honors speech. ;)
I didn't see that one coming...