Reviewed By Natalie Johns:
“It isn’t about the money,” said Tonya Freeman. “It’s what you want to do in life, if you’re a happy person then you will surround yourself with happy people”
Who is in your inner circle and how do you define yourself? That was the question that Tonya Freeman asked to the class of juniors and seniors at Grady High School. As a graduate of the University of Georgia, Freeman has worked the past 25 years at the Center for Disease Control and works diligently to instill personal happiness in young women through her Dolls to Divas, inc. around the Atlanta area.
In her presentation she asked the students to look introspectively and find what they would personally need to do to make themselves successful. In her opinion the most successful people are people that do what they love and have found a way to make money doing it.
She grabbed the student’s attention by pointing to examples of Michael Vick and TI as people who needed to change the people around them in order to be successful. Freeman asked the student’s to think about how they wanted to be seen and how they wanted to live their lives based on their own desires. She affirmed that money should not factor into what they do in life.
She left the class with the final thought that happiness is the most important part of life and career decisions. That happiness in the end is the measurement of success.
Tonya Freeman
Career: Education Specialist, CDC
From: Born and raised in Atlanta, Ga.
Education: University of Georgia
Words to live by: “Image is Key”
Tonya Freeman has spent the past 25 years working at the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and is currently working as an Education Specialist at the CDC University and manages the School of Public Health Information Resources Management. She is currently the program coordinator for the HHS CDC/ASTDR Mentoring Program that matches full-time employees with a career mentor. In addition to her involvement with the CDC she is the founder of her own personal business Dolls to Diva, Inc. which fosters growth and maturity in young women while encouraging them to follow their passions and strive to excel at their own personal goals.
- I will be mindful of my “inner circle” as I move up into my adulthood.
- Made me think about how I should sell myself and how I can follow my passion.
- I appreciated your honesty in relation to money and happiness.
- I really enjoyed the discussion that we had and hearing about the future goals of my peers.
- I’m glad you talked about doing what you love. I sometimes feel like I’m chasing money and not my dream.
- Thanks for taking time out and coming to see us.
- Thank you so much for coming to our classroom and talking to us about self image.
- It rally made me think more about my future and what I want to do.
- I appreciate your helpful tips and your positive attitude is infectious!
- I really enjoyed listening to my classmates’ goals.
- Thank you for a wonderful presentation and for your time!
- I really appreciate the information yo have explained to us.
by Alex Viguere
SYNOPSIS:
Tonya Freeman, an educational specialist at the Center for Disease Control, discusses what “success” really means and the importance of being comfortable in one’s own skin.
KEY POINTS:
-2:58-4:31: Tonya emphasizes the importance of knowing, and being happy with, oneself and how this relates to “success”
-5:45-6:36: Having clearly defined goals can help provide stability during tough times.
-7:20-9:27: The “Inner Circle”: Tonya discusses the importance of a close-knit friends and choosing the right people.
-12:30-12:40: Tonya gives her advice on being able to confidently express one’s talents.
-13:40-14:02: Tonya re-emphasizes the mutual exclusivity of money and happiness.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
-A big theme in Tonya’s video was defining “success” and the steps required to achieve it. How is an inner circle important to becoming successful?
-What are the advantages of a close-knit inner circle versus having a large number of friends? Are there any disadvantages?
-Being able to confidently express one’s talents is important. How does one strike a balance between arrogance and confidence?
-“Know thyself”- it is one of the fundamental tenets of ancient Greek philosophy, a 2500 year-old aphorism. How is this idea- that virtue can be attained through self-knowledge and introspection- related to what Tonya discusses? What does this say about success as Tonya defines it? Has “success” changed over time?
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