We often think far too much about the past and how things used to be so much so that we often overlook the now and what’s to come. It was that idea that crossed our minds here at the C-P this winter when mulling ideas for this year’s Profile, and, in execution, gave us plenty of reason to be optimistic about what’s still to come for Marion County.
It’s easy to feel all gloom and doom about the future, especially in today’s political climate. Hatred and division is at a level not seen in quite some time, and hope is the last thing on a lot of our minds.
But the best remedy to that mindset is to think about who will be leading the charge in the next generation, who will be attempting to fix these problems and who will try to bring joy back to the community. After going throughout Marion County to identify some of those figures who will undoubtedly make a difference in this or another community, not only hope but excitement resonated.
Future leaders come in all shapes and sizes, and you might not know what to expect from afar. Getting out and talking to the young members of our community is the only way to truly understand what we’ve got.
Becoming a doctor, lawyer, politician or a professional athlete are usually the leading results when you ask a youngster what they want to be when they grow up, but we found there to be plenty of variety with some of the next breed of movers and shakers you’ll meet in this year’s Profile. Some do want to be doctors, but here you’ll hear from future cowboys, welders, teachers, actors and orthodontists, as well as some already-established members of the community like a baseball coach and a cattleman.
C-P Publisher Joshua Campbell, Allyson Alford and I met students from Columbia Academy, Woodlawn Prep, Columbia, East Marion, West Marion, New Hope Community Christian School and the Carl Loftin Career and Technical Center this spring, meeting countless young faces ready to make an impact. Not only was it encouraging to hear what each student brought to the table, but what their teachers, classmates and administrators had to say was remarkable. The future is well supported in Foxworth, Columbia, Sandy Hook and throughout the entire county.
A great support system is essential to this future generation’s success. If we’re not doing everything in our power to build them up, encourage them and help them along the way, then we’re failing as a community. Save the pessimism for the past. There is unlimited potential for every young person in Marion County. All we have to do is our part to ensure they have all the support they need.
Those unfamiliar from afar may view Mississippians as one trick ponies, uneducated nobodies. But you and I both know that idea couldn’t be further from reality. Marion County, in particular, has so much to offer not only this area itself but the whole nation.
With the idea of hope in mind, on behalf of the entire C-P, thank you for reading this year’s Profile.
