LINDEN-Since Joe Johnson took over as Student Parent Involvement Coordinator for the Linden City School System he has been working to urge students to be all they can be. His efforts continued Tuesday as he had Robert Little, a motivational speaker come in to speak to students from all over Linden about how to accomplish all their goals.

Little asked the students to think about why parents urge them to stay out of certain situations. He also asked them to surround themselves with people that would help them succeed.

“Right now as high school students you need to know when you are disobeying and how bad things can happen when you are doing that,” Little said. “I hear stories all the time about 15, 16 and 17 year old kids doing things they shouldn’t be doing. A lot of times it is because of their friends. You need to be a true friend and ask you friends to be true to you.”

Little said by surrounding themselves with successful people, students could gain a great advantage. He also said there will be several times in their lives when people will doubt their abilities. Little encouraged each student to tone out negative voices.

“Along the way there are going to be several people who will say you can’t do something,” Little said. “Don’t let that happen to you. You are all smart, intelligent people. You are capable of going out and doing all the things you want to do.”

Little made it clear to the students that achieving their goals would not be an easy task. He said it takes hard work and dedication to make dreams come true.

“I wont tell any of you it is easy to go out and be what you want to,” Little said. “There will be a lot of people out there who will seem like it is their job to stop you. You have to stay dedicated.”

Much of what young people accomplish in their lives is based on their surroundings he said. Little said it was crucial to be aware of every advantage or disadvantage.

“Where you come from can make you better or it can make you bitter,” Little said. “What you all need to remember is it doesn’t matter where you come from, it matters where you go.”

Linden High School principal Timothy Thurman echoed Little’s sentiments. He appealed to all students to have a plan when they graduated.

“If you go through high school and never decide you want to go to college, join the military or take part in any job training, it is your own fault,” Thurman said. “You need to start putting together a plan right now.”

Little planned to also conduct speeches at Linden Elementary and George P. Austin. He also had a special program prepared for 7 p.m. in the Linden Elementary cafeteria for parents.