STORIES
Teachers
DONATE

Celena Fleming

by Jalea from North Carolina

My hero is someone I admire and look up to, her name is Celena Fleming. She has changed my life, and if I had one thousand tongues I could not thank her enough for supporting me. She has been a leader, teacher, and a friend.

Celena was born in North Carolina. She graduated from High School in Montgomery County. After graduating high school she went on to Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, where she earned a degree in pubic relations. Her many achievements include the Circle K Club, Bulletin Editor where she was vice president, and Miss North and South Carolina. After college she went into AmeriCorps where she lived in Atlanta, Georgia, and worked with unfortunate children whose parents were on drugs. She said one of the hardest things for her to do was to leave those kids every afternoon knowing they might go home to an empty house or have no nutrition or no one who cared about them.

After leaving Atlanta she moved back to North Carolina and became the Randolph-Asheboro YMCA Youth Counselor. That is how I met Mrs. Fleming, I have known her for the last four years. There are several reasons I look up to her she is an overachiever, she always strives to do and be her best, and set and be an example to the youth. She has taught me how to set and met the goals I set for myself. One of the main goals that I set for myself that she helped me with is beauty and it isn’t what’s on the outside, it is what is on the inside. When I first met her I was going through a hard time with my self image and she told me ”It doesn’t matter what others say or think of you, it’s what you see and think of yourself. Until you’re happy with yourself then others will not be happy and take you seriously.”

She is like a big sister to me. We talk about everything. I go to her for advice and she comes to me for advice. She is always willing to listen and lend a helping hand. I cannot recall one time that I have asked for help and she hasn’t helped me. When I first met her it was like I had known her all my life. She is very easy to get along with. She has tutored me in math because my grades were unacceptable and she helped me because she knew I was capable of doing better.

“Good, better, best, never let it rest until your good is better and your better is best.” She has given me confidence and I realize that I can do anything I want in life as long as I set a goal and work to achieve it. She is my best friend, she is someone I look up to, but most of all she is my hero.

Page created on 3/8/2007 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 3/8/2007 12:00:00 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.