The S.O. What! Literacy, Life Skills, and Character Education curriculum with Summer Owens

Back to School, Back to Reality: Why Our Students Need This Literacy and Life Skills Curriculum Now More Than Ever

As the school bells ring and students walk through the doors of schools across the country, backpacks are full of new notebooks, sharpened pencils, and hopeful expectations. But too many of those same students…
Hillcrest High School Students with Summer Owens
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How One Literacy and Life Skills Program Is Transforming Classrooms and Student Lives

Something powerful just happened at Hillcrest High School… and it’s exactly what so many schools need right now. After a semester of using the S.O. What! Literacy, Life Skills, and Character Education Program, I had the chance…
Grandmas - Agnes Owens and Ocie Williams at Summer Owens bridal shower
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Celebrating Grandparents Day: How I Turned Grief Into Something Grief On My Grandparents Day First Without My Grandmas

This Grandparents Day is bittersweet for me. It's the first one without my grandmothers, Agnes Idella “Dorothy” Jones Owens and Ocie Lee Woods Williams, who both transitioned this year. They were two of the strongest, wisest women…
James Earle Dortsch, Jr convicted of capital murder of Avis Terrell Jones
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Actions and Accountability, Choices and Consequences: The Capital Murder of My Cousin, Avis Terrell Jones

August 22, 2021, that was the last time I saw my cousin Avis Terrell Jones. He was showing me around a house he was fixing up for his mother. It was about two months before his life was tragically taken. I had gone to visit his father, my great…
Summer Owens Day 3 10th anniversary countdown. Day 3: Take Action and Persevere.
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10-DAY 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY COUNTDOWN- DAY 3: Take Action and Persevere

Here comes the scariest part…taking action! Then sticking with it when it gets hard. It’s Day 3 in my 10-day countdown to my 10th anniversary of my last day before becoming a full-time speaker and entrepreneur.  Yes, I’m celebrating…
Marcus Heaston
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Marcus Heaston S.O. What! Success Story

It’s funny when you meet someone who has “known” you for 20 years. Because I’m on a mission to impact as many youth and young adults as possible with the S.O. What! Literacy, Life Skills, and Character Education Curriculum, I am always…
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Burned by Bullying, Victorious as a Veteran – Justin Brazil S.O. What! Success Story

Once I started sharing my story, I began to hear and embrace the stories of others more and that includes Justin Brazil story. A few years ago, I spoke on a local panel and met an amazing man with an incredible story of resilience. One of…
Summer concludes sharing the lessons learned from her memoir with how to be successful in life.
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Persevere to the End

Today as I celebrate my 42nd birthday, I also reflect on my 15th birthday when an incident that happened so fast changed everything about my life. And made me question if I would be successful. What I learned in my journey, 26 years after…
Summer concludes sharing the lessons learned from her memoir with her five lessons from her life.
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10 years later. 5 More Life Lessons from My Story

Ten years ago, I shared my story and life lessons in my first book, Life After Birth: A Memoir of Survival and Success as a Teenage Mother. I had no idea then what would happen when I told it. A new chapter in my life started back then. And…