Posts

Melissa Graham
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Melissa Graham: S.O. What! Success Story

One thing I always tell my students is to talk to people. And something that almost always happens is you’ll find a lot that you have in common. Melissa Graham and I started talking because both of us have a passion for student success.…
Dr. Mario Brown
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Dr. Mario Brown: S.O. What! Success Story

When the blueprint is not given to you, but you still succeed and exceed even your own expectations. That’s the story of my friend, Dr. Mario Brown. As college students at the predominantly white institution, the University of Memphis.…
Summer Owens at the JCM class of 1997 25th anniversary class reunion
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25 Life Takeaways from My 25th Anniversary Class Reunion

Last weekend I attended my 25th anniversary class reunion. Even typing 25th anniversary doesn't seem like it could possibly apply to me.  It seems like it was just a couple of years ago that we got our green caps and gowns and excitedly walked…
Joshua Cobb
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Joshua Cobb: S.O. What! Success Story

Can you imagine one moment walking around doing your job and the next moment you don’t even have your legs? The unthinkable happened to Joshua Cobb only two weeks after he was standing in my living room.  Just as unbelievable as the…
Bud Richey
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Bud Richey: S.O. What! Success Story

Bowties. Crawfish. And leadership. They are all things I immediately think of when I think of Bud Richey. As a student leader over 20 years ago, I met Bud Richey when he came to the University of Memphis to direct the Emerging Leaders…
Odell Bizzell
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Odell Bizzell S.O. What! Success Story

Doesn’t it feel good when you meet someone doing the same thing as you and they immediately cheer you on and offer real help? I met Odell Bizzell as part of the National Speakers Association a few years ago but really got to know him when…
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…
Summer shares her lessons on why single moms need to keep their dreams alive.
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Single Moms: Keep Your Dreams Alive

Single mothers out there, keep your dreams alive because God fulfills them. By the time I went to graduate school to study for my MBA, I had already achieved a lot in my career and life. Now, I wanted a relationship for myself and a father…