High School Musical

From my first days on this planet in 1980, to the day I left for college in 1998, I spent my life in Hopewell, Virginia. Hopewell is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and sits roughly thirty minutes away from Richmond. Situated on the Appomattox and James Rivers, its roots run deep in this country dating all the way back to the early 1600s as English settlers colonized "Bermuda City". In 1781, Benedict Arnold's expedition of British troops passed through the city. It served as Grant's headquarters during the siege of Petersburg during the American Civil War, when it was known as City Point, and received President Lincoln in 1864 and 1865. In 1912 DuPont started buying up acres of land, and in 1914 they built the largest guncotton plant in the world, creating and instant boom town. In 1915 the city burned to the ground, but was quickly rebuilt. In 1916 it incorporates becoming the City of Hopewell. From 1966 to 1975, Allied Chemical dumped toxic materials into the river, thus creating the great Kepone Environmental Disaster, resulting in authorities shutting down the Allied Chemical Corporation plant that produced it, and also why we don't eat the fish out of the river. Then on October 6, 1980, it became my home.

Like many of my generation, I am the product of a broken house hold. My parents divorced when I was 18 months old, and I worked my way through the Hopewell City Public School system having to rehash my grades on multiple fronts to each parent. I dealt with a speech impediment, a small stature, and a very limited view on life. In the first grade I was the subject of taunts for not being able to say my "r" correctly. For reference, I'd say, my name is "Bwadley Bawnett", and that stayed with me until a speech therapist finally was able to help me convert those Ws to Rs. In the seventh grade, I saw two students get shot in the Carter G. Woodson courtyard after school. In eighth grade I learned the power of my words, and I also learned how to look over my shoulder. Then came high school.

From 1994 to 1998 I was a student at Hopewell High School, and I can speak with great certainty when I say, I did not like high school. Let's get the first part of this out of the way, during my four years there I was bullied a lot in the beginning, I discovered soccer, I met some people I'll remember forever, I met some people I've already forgotten, and it took four years to complete. That sums it up. While there, I never cared about my grades, I struggled with authority, and I was sure I would end up working at one of the plants that tried to destroy the city just under a 100 years prior. I had no direction, no sense of self-worth, and I surely had no idea how to make it out of there. College was a pipe dream, and even if I went to college, I wasn't sure what I'd want to do. I enjoyed playing sports, playing video games, and being outdoors (hunting and fishing, more so fishing). I was smart, but I wasn't dedicated to my studies, and it was never talked about aside from every report card that came out full of Cs and Ds. I'd get yelled out by my mom, then my dad would have his turn when I saw him either on Wednesday night or my weekend with him. But there were never any solutions to help or attempt to understand the bigger question of why, it was always the same thing, "Bradley Michael, you have to try harder". It wasn't that the material was difficult, it was that I did not know how to consume it, and nothing kept my attention. If asked in class, I could easily respond with the correct answer, but that never translated to testing. I probably had some form of ADHD, but that was never tested for, and even if it was, it would have been pushed aside.

So what changed?

Frankly, nothing changed. I managed to skate by with very little room for error, and I passed all of the courses I needed to in order to get my diploma. My senior year I remember thinking to myself, "what in the hell are you going to do now?" I had friends that were already accepted to college or a trade school, and others that had already started businesses. Here I was, with zero going for me, and not a single brainwave of how to get out of Hopewell. I applied to Radford University, which is a sure bet for most students, and I received a rejection letter. Radford was a known party school, and I couldn't get even get in there. Richard Bland, a junior college associated with William and Mary, was a thought, but I even talked myself out of that. Then one day, my neighbor was walking to her mailbox. Her and I were born one day apart, and I asked her where she was going to go to college. She told me St. Andrews in Laurinburg, NC, and then she told me to look it up and apply. So I did. We went for a tour, she came with us just for fun, and then I received an acceptance letter and started talking to the soccer coach about being on the team. I had a fresh start, with academics and with my life outside of Hopewell. I was determined to make the most of it.

This is obviously a quick hit of my childhood, and I don't want to get into all the specifics of that time, because this isn't the forum for that. However, I do think it is important to touch base on a few of these events, because they absolutely shaped me into who I am today. It's also worth noting that just because you feel like you are stuck in a situation, you will find opportunities to come out of them if you just look around. Had I not had that chance encounter with my neighbor by the mailbox, I would have never found St. Andrews, and I surely wouldn't be where I am today. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and because of these events early in my life, it has produced this version of Brad.

My advice to you, take some time to reflect on your journey, and look around for the next piece of the puzzle that is going to help write the next chapter.