Sweetwater County School District #1 Hosts Motivational Speaker Victor Woods

Sweetwater County School District #1 Hosts Motivational Speaker Victor Woods

ROCK SPRINGS — Summer school students at Rock Springs High School and Rock Springs Jr. High had the opportunity to listen to motivational speaker, Victor Woods, on Wednesday. Victor Woods has made appearances on CNN, the O’Reilly Factor, ABC, CBS and has shared his story with High Schools, Universities and Leadership conferences across the country. Woods authored a book entitled, “A Breed Apart” in which he referenced examples of his hard life in prison and his fight for something positive. Woods said his message was designed for anyone who has fallen down and has the tenacity and courage to get back up!

Matt Mikkelson, Summer School Principal for 9th-12th graders, said that students were engaged and found the raw story relatable. Mikkelsen stated that he “was very pleased to see students being so receptive to Woods’s message, especially the few who needed it and ultimately it was extremely beneficial for our students.” Mikkelsen also noted, “it was impressive that our school district had the opportunity to hear from an individual at that caliber and provided a strong message.”

Woods’s life examples included a series of poor choices while growing up in Chicago and eventually leading to time in prison for several years for armed robbery felony charges. Upon serving his prison sentences he worked tirelessly for over seven years to obtain a major book deal. Hid book, ‘A Breed Apart’, describes how he survived prison and beat the odds. Woods said, “When I decided to change my life it happened in a prison cell and I was sick and tired of being there and wanted so much more out of life… I suddenly woke up!”. Woods started giving motivational speeches to inmates while in prison and encouraged them to turn their lives around.

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Students at the Jr. High and High School were able to speak to Woods and ask questions after his presentation. One student asked, “How do I make the right decision when my friends are pressuring me to make a bad choice?” Referencing destructive behavior, Woods responded, “One thing I say to people is ‘don’t walk away from dumb people, run from dumb people’.” He later said, “Speaking to young people is most rewarding when I hear I made a difference and shared something they needed to hear.”

Woods said he was in awe of the genuine concern teachers had for their students and the excellent attitudes all Sweetwater One displayed. As a closing remark Woods stated, “My first visit to Wyoming was great and I hope the students I spoke to here can walk away with a message of excitement and that making a poor choice is not the end of the world…a positive change can happen now!”

-From a SWCSD#1 Press Release