Millikin graduate delivers anti-bullying message to local school
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Millikin University alumnus and BMX champion Matt Wilhelm '01 visited Argenta-Oreana (Ill.) middle and high school students on Sept. 15 to deliver an anti-bullying message, mixed in with some demonstrations of his riding skills.
Wilhelm is a BMX Flatland rider and motivational speaker. He is known for his fast spinning and aggressive riding style. He is a three-time X Games Medalist, World Championship Silver Medalist, and two-time United States National Champion.
Among other television appearances, Wilhelm advanced to the semi-finals on America's Got Talent. He also won America's Got Talent YouTube Competition, and won FOX TV's 30 Seconds to Fame.
Wilhelm is also a motivational speaker and performs at over 300 schools per year. He was featured in the award-winning documentary "Stop Bullying: Speak UP" with President Barack Obama on Cartoon Network.
"When we call somebody names 'just kidding,' your words can tear somebody apart," Wilhelm said to students on Sept. 15. "Before you say anything, or text, or whatever, ask yourself, does it make them more valuable, or less? Choose words that are kind."
When he was on America's Got Talent, he said, people called him an "overnight success."
"What you don't see is the 10 years of practice it took to get to that point," Wilhelm said.
Wilhelm urged the students to find their talent, work hard and value the very things that make them different, because those are the things that make them stand out.
Click here to read the full article from the Herald & Review.
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