“Jump Man” advises youths: Leap forward with positive attitude, initiative

While Hollis Conway, a world record-setting high jumper and two-time Olympic medal winner, told a group of teenagers yesterday that personal goals are critical to success, there's another endeavor more meaningful.
“I can't describe to you what it's like to stand on the platform and know the world is watching you,” Conway told a dozen participants in the Northeast Louisiana Workforce Investment Act's Youth Hope Program, which recruits young men and women ages 18-21 who left high school for various reasons but have committed to GED tutoring/work skills training.
“But that moment is gone. Helping others in life is more important because it gives value – and it goes on.”
The man known as the “Jump Man” – a medalist in the 1988 and 1992 Olympics – was invited as a motivational speaker by the program's staff and directors.
Vicky Trevillion said the program invites four speakers a year and are chosen to both inspire the participants and give them practical tips for success in the real world.
The immediate past speaker was an artist. The next two will include speakers advising how to dress for success and perform well in a job interview.
Conway spent about two hours with the group sitting at tables at the Visitor Center. The first hour he introduced his life's story; the second half he directed a workshop that included the students going through a personality/goal survey.
He told the 18 students that they should be proud of what they are doing, taking the initiative to gain the benchmarks needed to get ahead in society.
He underscored that to be successful they have to take the initiative, be positive and make themselves indispensable to employers and others.
“You are winners. What you are doing is affecting you and those who come behind you. It is commendable,” Conway said.
The local Youth Hope chapter covers Morehouse, West Carroll and Union parishes, and has ongoing open enrollment. Call 283.0849 for more information.