Local Health and Safety Fair Hosted at Southwest High School

It was a rainy morning including some brief storms, but that didn't stop citizens of Macon, GA from loading up their cars and making their way to Southwest High School for the health and safety fair the school hosted February 21, 2014. The fair which commenced at 10:00am and lasted until 2:00pm today included free brochures and information about healthcare providers in Middle Georgia, different ways to stay safe, different ways to stay healthy, free snacks around noon, free dental screenings, and raffles held by several booths. The fair also featured in Southwest High School's auditorium, a speech by Dr. Valerie Montgomery-Rice who is an alumni from Southwest High School's class of 1979. Dr. Montgomery-Rice will become president of Morehouse College's School of Medicine this upcoming July. Already, she is the dean of the college's School of Medicine.

Dr. Montgomery-Rice hosted an approximately 40 minute speech in which she inspired her audience with her story to go out and accomplish things as she has done in her lifetime. From being a high school student at Southwest High School to now, Dr. Montgomery-Rice has accomplished great things, being awarded for her achievements in the medical field, especially in the field of gynecology and reproductive healthcare for women. She has worked hard to be where she is at even if at times she didn't know what she was doing. She described for the audience her academic journeys in college, telling us how she didn't know what a chemical engineer did or what a doctor did every day but she took her passion for science and math and applied herself.

Shortly following her speech, Dr. Montgomery-Rice opened the floor for a question and answer session. She spoke with audience members who asked her about her academic experiences and discussed opportunities many youth can take advantage of in Macon today. She described for the audience and highlighted opportunities which would aid students today who have dreams of doing great things. As Dr. Montgomery-Rice constantly repeated throughout the event, anything is possible. Therefore, even if we need a little naivety, we can still do great things with our lives just as she did, we only must seize the opportunity.

The following is images from the event: