Jesse Speaks with Kelso high school students

By Jesse Coombs

Hey Everyone,

Recently The Daily News wrote two stories about me. One was about the personal effort and turn around I put into an apartment complex there.

The other was about me as a professional kayaker.

Because of these articles a Kelso high school teacher, Ms Karen Irvine, wrote me asking if I would like to present my message to her class. Of course I jump at any opportunity to help kids make good choices in their lives and we scheduled it for April 14th. There were about 20 kids in the class, and I had a great time speaking with them for an hour.

I spoke with them about:

• Making good choices in their lives
• The outcome of their lives is their choice based on their decisions
• Being a person with integrity who does not mislead others
• How to achieve big goals
• Working hard toward their passions
• Doing something you love fight something you hate such as poverty or drugs

The students were kind enough to send me photos with personal notes, and Ms Irvine gave me a copy of the student’s reaction to my presentation. Reading the students’ response to my presentation was as touching a moment as I have had in a long time. I can’t describe how much it means to me to positively influence others to make good decisions that bring joy into their lives.

Here is some of the great feedback I received from my time with the kids:

"How you kept saying to never lie will stick with me for a long time. You can just tell when a person is honest and it makes them such a better person. I think that how you have the program to keep kids off drugs is awesome. My brother is way strung out on drugs and that is all his life is about. I just hate the thoughts of drugs and how it ruins lives. You truly will make an impact and have on communities. You did a great job and are doing awesome for helping others’ lives!"

"Something that you said that will always stick with me is that everyone is responsible for themselves and you choose all your decisions."

"The message that will stay with me the longest is that you have to live your life with integrity and do what you love. I’ve always felt that way, and it was neat to see someone successful live by that."

"I think it was effective because like me he has never tried any drugs before. And we can all see how successful he is. A lot of guest speakers had messed up childhoods with a lot of drugs and bad experiences which I cannot relate to at all. So for me, him being a successful drug free speaker was much more effective."

"The message that will stay with me the longest is to make a big goal, then do little things to accomplish that goal. This will stay with me because in the past I have found myself thinking that you have to accomplish the goal all at one time. Now that I know I can just take baby steps I think I can accomplish my goals more often."

"I particularly enjoyed your speech of how money doesn’t change people, but gives them more chances of showing who they are. Also, thank you for teaching that no matter how poor or rich a person is, they can reach their goals if they try."

Here are all the thank you notes and feedback I received:

Kristin

Thank you for coming into our class to speak with us. How you kept saying to never lie will stick with me for a long time. You can just tell when a person is honest and it makes them such a better person. I think that how you have the program to keep kids off drugs is awesome. My brother is way strung out on drugs and that is all his life is about. I just hate the thoughts of drugs and how it ruins lives. You truly will make an impact and have on communities. You did a great job and are doing awesome for helping others’ lives!

What did you enjoy most about Jesse’s presentation?

I liked how Jesse was really comfortable about talking and how he just seemed so confident with everything he was saying. He was just fun and smiled a lot which was great. He was a great involved speaker.

What message Jesse gave will stay with you the longest?

I just think the message about integrity was the one that will stay with me. He seemed so confident with that. I know that really is a good lesson to be learned. It is a great trait of good character.

Was Jesse’s speaking approach effective?

He made a good difference with his approach by just being fun about what he was saying. He seemed so into what he was talking about, he just made you want to hear more and more about what he was saying.

Ryan

Thank you for coming into our class and volunteering your time to speak with us. I greatly appreciate all the advice that you gave. I felt it had a huge impact on us all. Something that you said that will always stick with me is that everyone is responsible for themselves and you choose all your decisions. Thank you for that. I will never forget it.

What did you enjoy most about Jesse’s presentation?

I like hearing about kayaking, because I like water sports myself. I also loved all the messages he had to explain his points he was getting across.

What message Jesse gave will stay with you the longest?

I liked how he said nobody is responsible for the choices you make in our life but yourself. I think that message will always help me do better and think things out.

Was Jesse’s speaking approach effective?

I felt Jesse’s approach was more effective because he wasn’t boring. He was cool about everything, and he seemed to be very laid back. He came across happy and had a lot of good ways of coming across to us.

Brandon

I just wanted to tell you thanks for allowing us to hear about your life, and thoughts on certain subjects. One thing I will never forget is when you talked about choosing a career that you will have fun with and enjoy, not one that is just going to get you by.

What did you enjoy most about Jesse’s presentation?

I most enjoyed how he presented himself. He wasn’t trying to be someone he wasn’t. You could tell that he was comfortable being up in front of a class and speaking about his life.

What message Jesse gave will stay with you the longest?

To do something you love to do, not something you think you want to do. This will stay with me the longest, because it refers to a long term situation such as your life and job.

Was Jesse’s speaking approach effective?

Personally he made more of an impact than others, because again he was himself and he wasn’t blabbing about stuff he really didn’t know anything about. He also told how he felt about things, not how he thinks we should feel about them.

Patrick

I would like to thank you for taking the time out of your day to share your experience and advice with our class. I can honestly say it had a positive impact on me and my views of life. I may even try to get over my fear of water and learn to swim again. Once again, I would like to thank you.

What did you enjoy most about Jesse’s presentation?

I enjoyed hearing about his trips around the world. It was interesting hearing his view on life and how he made his choices.

What message Jesse gave will stay with you the longest?

I think the message that will stick with me the longest will be to have fun, don’t just do the things because you have to. This will stick with me because for the longest time I have only done things I had to, never really for fun.

Was Jesse’s speaking approach effective?

Jesse’s approach was more effective, because he wasn’t trying to ‘sell’ us something. He was just honest and to the point. He also didn’t try telling us that our high school years will be the best years of our lives.

Emeraud

I greatly appreciated you visiting our class. It was refreshing to see a successful person who enjoyed life. You made many good points about goal setting. You also made difficult goals sound reachable. Thanks for taking the time to talk with us.

What did you enjoy most about Jesse’s presentation?

I most enjoyed Jesse’s enthusiasm regarding what he was talking about, and he seemed very knowledgeable.

What message Jesse gave will stay with you the longest?

The message that will stay with me the longest is that you have to live your life with integrity and do what you love. I’ve always felt that way, and it was neat to see someone successful live by that.

Was Jesse’s speaking approach effective?

Jesse’s approach seemed more effective in that he was very open with the class. He also talked about things in a way that was easily relatable.

Ashley

Thank you so much for coming and sharing your time with us. I really appreciated what you said about integrity. It made me realize that being a good person is what counts the most. I enjoyed listening to your experiences and triumphs. You made even being a landlord sound appealing. Great presentation!

What did you enjoy most about Jesse’s presentation?

I liked how he was so laid back and open. His attitude was very entertaining and fun to watch and listen. I like how he would answer everyone’s questions exactly. Most speakers are asked a question and go off on some huge off-topic lecture. He was fun.

What message Jesse gave will stay with you the longest?

I think what he said about integrity will definitely last. I guess I never put it in that way before and it just really hit home. I agree completely that being an honest good person is your biggest and greatest feature.

Was Jesse’s speaking approach effective?

I think it was effective because like me he has never tried any drugs before. And we can all see how successful he is. A lot of guest speakers had messed up childhoods with a lot of drugs and bad experiences which I cannot relate to at all. So for me, him being a successful drug free speaker was much more effective.

Brittany

Thank you for coming in and sharing your thoughts and ideas. I think it is great all that you have done for the community and yourself. We greatly appreciated you coming in to meet with us.

What did you enjoy most about Jesse’s presentation?

I mostly enjoyed how Jesse cam in here and started telling us things about his life and how it’s possible to be in his shoes with just a little practice and hard work. He gave us tops on how to be successful that helped me out and showed me that it can be done with a little work.

What message Jesse gave will stay with you the longest?

I think it would have to be when he was talking about how he worked at a company for 8 years and realized he didn’t like it and it wasn’t for him. This was a wake up call for the fact that actually happens and that it is normal.

Was Jesse’s speaking approach effective?

He was more effective because how young he was. He connected with us on a teen level. He told us straight up how it was. Jesse’s approach was very helpful and memorable. He has kind of a little kid personality which made it fun. But he is mature and makes good decisions and has learned from the bad ones.

Whitney

Thanks for coming and talking to our class. I really appreciate what you are doing for our community. I hope you visit again!

What did you enjoy most about Jesse’s presentation?

I really enjoyed the way he wanted to know what interested us about him. He did not ramble and he was really outgoing.

What message Jesse gave will stay with you the longest?

Probably just the whole ‘Love everything you do’ view. You have the most fun in life when you are doing what you absolutely love.

Was Jesse’s speaking approach effective?

Jesse’s approach was much better because he was not preaching at us. He was just informing us on what it could lead to.

Deric

Just thought I would say thank you for presenting. I hope to use the goal setting idea for future plans.

What did you enjoy most about Jesse’s presentation?

What I enjoyed most about Jesse’ presentation was his advice on being successful in life.

What message Jesse gave will stay with you the longest?

The message that will stay with me the longest is to make a big goal, then do little things to accomplish that goal. This will stay with me because in the past I have found myself thinking that you have to accomplish the goal all at one time. Now that I know I can just take baby steps I think I can accomplish my goals more often.

Was Jesse’s speaking approach effective?

It was more effective, because he didn’t lecture us like most speakers. He got us involved with the presentation.

Allison

Thank you so much for coming to our class. I had a great time listening to your stories. I think I will kayak soon. I hope you will visit again!

Elisa

Thanks for chatting with our class. I hope your right about high school not being your best years of life. I have big dreams too, and I am going to achieve them too.

What did you enjoy most about Jesse’s presentation?

I like how he explained how fearless he is when kayaking and sky diving.

What message Jesse gave will stay with you the longest?

I think it will be that you should live our life to the fullest because I want to get paid to do something I love and work hard for it.

Was Jesse’s speaking approach effective?

I think it was more effective because he did a lot better explaining his experiences and theories. It also helps that he does really cool things.

Hayley

Thank you so much for coming and speaking to our class. It meant a lot for you to take time out of your day to talk to us. It was interesting to learn more about your accomplishments and how you got where you are today. It was also cool to learn that you didn’t take the traditional route to get there.

What did you enjoy most about Jesse’s presentation?

I enjoyed hearing about hwy he set up the Jesse Coombs Foundation. What happened was not good, but the problems close to him with drugs led Jesse to creating a foundation that is doing a lot of good.

What message Jesse gave will stay with you the longest?

You don’t have to have your life planned out when you graduate high school.

Was Jesse’s speaking approach effective?

Jesse’s approach was more effective because he didn’t seem old. He acted younger and talked to us, not at us. He used slang and talked like we talk.

Kora

Thank you for coming to our class and sharing our experiences. I particularly enjoyed your speech of how money doesn’t change people, but gives them more chances of showing who they are. Also, thank you for teaching that no matter how poor or rich a person is, they can reach their goals if they try.

What did you enjoy most about Jesse’s presentation?

His laid back, down to earth, attitude. His positive outlook, and the topics he spoke about such as: Taking tiny steps to reach a goal.

What message Jesse gave will stay with you the longest?

The message that money does not make you who you are, you do. That will stick with me because growing up in a lower class family brings hopes down, but knowing we can do something about it helps.

Was Jesse’s speaking approach effective?

Jesse’s approach was more effective because he was not aloof and he was not trying to sell us or make us do something. He jus showed his own experiences and hoped we could be helped from it. He was more real.

Nikita

I actually enjoyed having you com to visit our class. Most of the day we spend at school is full of the same old things that we see everyday. Your presentation was so much more positive and you seem much more down to earth than a lot of speakers we have. I think you are probably on of the bravest people I have met! When I first saw the pictures on your page of you kayaking over an 80ft waterfall I thought you were just insane. But when you came in to talk to us I realized that you were just brave and comfortable with what you do.

What did you enjoy most about Jesse’s presentation?

I liked that he was such a positive person and very humble. He was very down to earth and he seemed to be very motivated and happy to help us out with advice.

What message Jesse gave will stay with you the longest?

I think the message about the wheel will stick with me because it made me realize that you really have to work hard to get where you want to be, and that there is no such thing as over night success.

Was Jesse’s speaking approach effective?

Jesse’ approach was much better. He talked about things that we don’t hear about everyday. He was much more down to earth and easy to follow and talk to. I like that he could really relate to us more personally.

Seth

I would like to thank you for coming to our class and sharing your story. I really enjoyed your attitude toward life itself and your success is inspirational. Keep on living man!

What did you enjoy most about Jesse’s presentation?

I most enjoyed his attitude. He was a very real person.

What message Jesse gave will stay with you the longest?

The message that will stay with me the longest is that ‘I’ change my future and am accountable for what happens to me. I agree completely with that message and find it helpful in many instances.

Was Jesse’s speaking approach effective?

I think his approach was more effective, he was honest, and he had a great attitude toward life itself.

Cassandra

What did you enjoy most about Jesse’s presentation?

I enjoyed hearing him talk about the apartment and how he kicked a lot of people out because of drugs. And how he was threatened by many people because of it, but that he just stood strong because that was what he wanted to do and why he was there.

What message Jesse gave will stay with you the longest?

When he said you should choose something you love and something you hate and combine those things together to make your decision for your future.

Was Jesse’s speaking approach effective?

I think him talking about making choices and education was very effective.

KC

What did you enjoy most about Jesse’s presentation?

I enjoyed his outgoing personality. He was willing to be open and honest.

What message Jesse gave will stay with you the longest?

You choose your own path and the friends you have will affect it. You have the ability to be more than you are.

Was Jesse’s speaking approach effective?

Jesse’s approach was more interactive.

Kacie

What did you enjoy most about Jesse’s presentation?

How he kept answering all of the questions that he had.

What message Jesse gave will stay with you the longest?

The one that he said your mom, dad, etc. don’t run your life, you do. And it made sense to me.

Was Jesse’s speaking approach effective?

Jesse’s approach to drugs was effective because he was talking to us with never having done drugs and most people have done them.

Jessica

What did you enjoy most about Jesse’s presentation?

I loved how Jesse was up beat and he was energetic. I really liked when he talked about the kayaking.

What message Jesse gave will stay with you the longest?

I think the message that will stay with me would have to be to do what you think is fun. Don’t go along with what you don’t feel comfortable with.

Was Jesse’s speaking approach effective?

I think he did a great approach at his topics and I thought ‘wow, he is young and he is having fun doing what he wants.’ Other speakers are old and they don’t have fun getting up there and talking.

Best

Jesse