Donald Martin was a self-described “class clown” during his elementary school days.
He said his desire for acceptance was part of his approach to lightening the mood in a variety of situations.
Friday morning at Valley Grove Elementary School, he shared with several third graders how those comedic habits both got him into trouble and helped him become successful.
“I wanted people to like me and I wanted to be accepted, but my purpose was to show (the students) that now I travel all over doing it, but I am disciplined in how I do it,” said Martin, a comedian and co-CEO of People Rich Comedy.
“It’s great being able to show these young people, who maybe have some of the same traits I had, that you can make it but you have to be disciplined.”
Martin and his wife, Kimberly, both gave presentations to about 80 third-graders as part of the school’s annual Black Professionals Day, which organizers said was an opportunity to hear about different professions while also showing them successful Black business leaders in the community.
During the event, students were able to rotate between different tables in the cafeteria and interact with the professionals.
Terri Gift, a social worker at Valley Grove who helped organize the event, said her desire was to help students become aware of new professions that may align with skills or interests they already have.
Kimberly Martin, a tax strategist, money coach and owner of Kimberly Janelle Enterprises, said kids need to learn about money at an early age.
“I thought it was important for me to come and talk to kids about why it is important to learn about money,” Martin said. “When we were growing up, we never got exposed to how to take care of money, how to save money, how to make money. The younger we can expose kids to knowing how we can take care of money and how to make more money, the better the world will be.”
LaMont Johnson, an assistant football coach at Anderson University, said he never experienced an event like Black Professionals Day at school. He wants the students to work hard for what they want to achieve in life.
“You can do anything you want, you can be anything you want, you just have to do your part and put work in,” Johnson said. “Have faith in God or who you believe in, and from there do your part. You are not going to get anywhere without putting in work. Work hard, keep a good attitude and teamwork makes the dream work.”
This article appeared in The Herald Bulletin.