Alumna Dudley Ann Strosnider (2004) visited James River this morning (September 28). It's always good to see our graduates and catch up on their news. Today's visit was special though. Dudley was here with a purpose in mind.
She had returned to talk with our middle school students during their Friday morning meeting. She wanted to give them a bit of her experience and perspective. Dudley Ann is a 2004 graduate of James River, a 2008 graduate of VES, and a 2012 graduate of Bridgewater College with a history major and a criminal justice minor.
Dudley is now running her own business, Sore Today, Soar Tomorrow, as a group fitness instructor. (Yes, the homophonous pun is intended.) That's a bit of change from her original dream, and that's okay. She talked with the middle schoolers about how the strength of character and perseverance she learned at James River have carried her through this sometimes scary and difficult process of living her dreams. She encouraged the students to pursue their passions and reminded them that our dreams do change over time. That's perfectly normal and expected. She cautioned them to not be disheartened if a dream doesn't work out, because we can always dream a new dream. The important things to remember are to never compromise your integrity, to stay true to yourself, and to keep going - that next dream might be the best yet.