Hi Wade!
I just wanted to reach out to you and let you know that what you are doing is making a difference!
My daughter was being pretty badly bullied at school a few weeks ago. We talked with her, the principal of the school, and also the parent of the girl doing the bullying. Nothing was resolved and no apologies were made. We told our daughter that she would have to find a way to just let it go. She said she had, but we all know that’s easier said than done. Cruel words leave ugly scars, even when no one else can see them.
You spoke at her High School yesterday and made a difference. My daughter came home from school and told me that the “bully” had come to her in tears and apologized to her for what she had done! I was so proud of my daughter for responding with these words, “I’ve already forgiven you and moved on.”
Being a teenager these days is so incredibly hard and my heart breaks for those that don’t have anyone to guide them through it. Thank you for what you are doing and please continue.
DeeAnn S.
Recently, my high school hosted a meeting in the gym with guest speaker Wade White. His powerful message left a resonating impact on me—we are all measured by our character. What we do, what we say, and most importantly, how we make others feel.
With this in mind, I began contemplating how that applied to my experience in high school. I thought about my awkward, self-conscious freshman self and the people who have helped build me into the young woman I am now. Everything leaves an impression, I realized, from the kind smiles the lunch ladies send my way every afternoon to the way a teacher conducts his or her class.
Marching band, for example, has been a major catalyst in my life. I have been in band since seventh grade, but it didn't truly become my home until freshman year. The upperclassmen were welcoming and kind, teaching me that making friends wasn't as hard as I had always thought. By being myself, not changing who I was to impress them no matter how much that idea lingered in the back of my head, I made plenty of friends.
The One Act play, which I joined my junior year as a hopeful understudy, taught me to have confidence in myself. The directors, Mr. Dassinger and Ms. Dooley, along with my fellow cast and crew members opened their arms to me and gave me a sense of belonging. They taught me through the inside jokes and laughter we shared that I could do anything I set my mind to if I was willing to learn.
The common themes that encompass my four years at Aubrey High School are these: if you do your best, you will always succeed and have faith in who you are. I was inspired by the character of those surrounding me to better myself, a handful of teachers as my main source of motivation.
The fact of the matter is that good teachers are essential to creating strong young men and women of character. Mrs. Gallagher taught me the value of genuinely caring for the people around myself. Mr. Rahman showed me how to respect people and the importance of humbly putting others before myself. Mr. Dassinger, through his jovial, outgoing personality, provided a perfect example for me about being comfortable expressing myself, no matter how silly I'm being. Ms. Dooley taught me how to open my mind to new possibilities for music and writing.
There are many more—teachers who inspire a love of learning in their students or an interest in a certain topic—that I could include but it all boils down to this: we all leave an impact. Mr. White told a gym full of students, "You are the only person with your exact fingerprints in the world. You are the only person who gets to decide how you impact others in the amount of time you've got here."
As I stated earlier, people aren't going to remember you for what you wear. People won't remember you for what you say or what you do. They will remember how you made them feel, and my experiences at Aubrey High School have impacted my decision that I want to do my best to make people feel happy.
Caitlyn Denning
Here I sit, in the depths of all my pain and sorrow, and yet this family pushes forward so Ryan Whites life was not in vain,& stood for the young man he was...of such honorable character. ... I know I have a purpose! We all have a purpose! ....
Measured By Character puts it all into perspective! This is what it means to me!
Rebecca Lantrip
I have been so inspired by Wade White and his touching testimony. People everywhere need to hear the message that Measured by Character has to share.