East Hamilton High School junior Bria Ramsey is becoming a local celebrity.
Her face can be viewed on a Chattanooga billboard. The reason? She is living “On Point.”
East Hamilton High School junior and On Point Teen Board member Bria Ramsey, right, was selected to be highlighted on a Chattanooga billboard for her leadership skills. On Point Special Events and Communications Coordinator Ashley Lattier, left, congratulates her.Inside the Chattanooga Trade and Convention Center March 1 at 6:30 p.m., On Point, a local program that seeks to empower teens to make the right choices, will showcase area teens living their lives in a positive way by allowing them to tell their story. Guest speaker Wes Moore, author of “The Other Wes Moore,” will also tell his personal story at the banquet as the grand finale.
Tickets are $75, $375 for a table of eight or $750 for a VIP/corporate table (includes eight passes to a special reception with Moore.)
“Even though you might have friends making wrong choices, you can still make a difference and influence them in a positive way,” said Ramsey, an On Point Teen Board member. “I’ve learned that you don’t have to fall into the crowd.
“I learned through On Point that we are all pieces in a bigger puzzle. I try to do my best in school and try to influence my friends to do well too.”
She said drugs and other peer pressures are everywhere, but On Point helps her stay on track.
Ramsey said she is memorizing “The Lost Generation” poem to recite at the upcoming event with fellow Teen Board members. She said the poem starts out saying a variety of negative things, but when the poem is reversed, the words become positive.
After graduation, Ramsey plans to attend Murray State University in Kentucky, where she will major in veterinary science. Her dream is to be a veterinarian. She is presently the proud owner of a Maltipoo puppy named Maxi.
‘the next greatest generation’
Ramsey is among a handful of On Point Teen Board members selected to be posted on billboards around Chattanooga.
These diverse photos of students are part of On Point’s new ad campaign titled “The Next Greatest Generation.” It features real On Point students from both public and private schools in Hamilton County. Headlines of the billboards say “This is My Story” and showcase the face and name of an On Point Teen Board member.
The On Point Web address, http://www.liveonpoint.org, is also posted on the billboards. When spectators go online, they can read the students’ stories. Visitors are spending 3.5 minutes per page, and the students featured are starting to be recognized by people, said On Point representatives.
On Point started out as an abstinence program in Chattanooga in 1991. Now it empowers youth to identify a positive support system of peers and adults, sharpen critical thinking skills to analyze choices, instills factors to help teens overcome obstacles, helps teens possess a vision for their future and helps them discover self-worth.