Just this morning the third through twelfth grade student body of Saint Stephen’s gathered in anticipation in the Hoagland Area, waiting for a Skype conference with world-renowned soccer star, Tim Howard.

A current member of Everton Football Club in the English Premier League, Howard has reached national acclaim for his recent success as goalkeeper representing the U.S. World Cup team. Before his success in this past summer’s World Cup, he was also a member of Manchester United Football Club and close friend of the Falcons’s very own Coach Tim Mulqueen.

Mulqueen, in conjunction with Mrs. Kim Lord, scheduled the Skype conference as part of the Saint Stephen’s S4 Speaker Series. The SSES Tech Department’s Mr. Sam Lindsay and Mrs. Cindy Addison used their technological expertise to project the video call onto a large projector, so that Howard was able to be seen and heard by all when giving advice to the community.

Although being the face of the U.S. World Cup Team calls for applause, Howard reminded all of the students present to remain humble and to “find confidence from within”. Being able to take praise and criticism in stride has helped Howard throughout his life, especially during his younger years when he was diagnosed with Tourettes Syndrome. His interview with the school reminded everyone to dream big, whether in academics or sports. His secret to staying grounded amongst all of the stardom is to never stop reaching for excellence, even after getting phone calls from Barack Obama and the Secretary of Defense.

Howard left Saint Stephen’s with the message that every success can be accredited to hard work and a strong support system, and every failure is defined by how you overcome the obstacles and eventually persevere.