Kellam High freshmen Graeson Lake really enjoyed getting to meet Fox Sports reporter Jenny Taft during the Wings of Tomorrow Symposium.

“She’s great, especially since she’s a woman in an industry that is mostly male,” Graeson said.

The U.S. Air Force program included several motivational speakers that students readily recognized, including social media icon McKenzi Brooke, WNBA star Sheryl Swoopes and BMX world champion Ryan Nyquist. Members of the Air Force, including Capt. Dustin “C3” Priaulx, also answered questions from the students about life choices and career paths.

Students huddled around the celebrities for autographs and conversations between breakout sessions.

“It’s cool to hear about the different experiences they had in life,” Lake said.

Freshmen Shalia Mitchell said, “I liked learning about the military and what they do.”

The Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau worked with ASA Entertainment Group and VBCPS to bring the free event to Kellam High. The symposium is held only 10 times a year across the country.

“The Convention and Visitors Bureau is excited that the relationship developed with ASA Entertainment through our mission of generating tourism, and this led to a great opportunity to impact our residents, students and faculty,” said Bill Kelly, deputy resort administrator.

The celebrity speakers talked about overcoming adversity, mental wellbeing, goal setting, personal development and finding success in failure. Swoopes told students that although she started playing basketball with her older brothers when she was 7 years old, it wasn’t until freshmen year of high school that she realized she wanted to work toward an athletic or academic scholarship for college.

“Even then, high school was hard,” she said. “When my friends were doing other things during their weekends, I tried to focus on what I wanted to do with my future.”

Capt. Priaulx said he didn’t know what he wanted to do when he was in high school.

“I just made sure I kept my options open,” the fighter pilot said. “If you don’t know what to do, it’s OK.”

Brooke, who has millions of followers on social media, stressed the importance of mental health.

“Social media can be 24/7,” she said. “When I need a break, I go to the movies. It’s my way to decompress.”

Swoopes agreed that everyone should look after their wellbeing.

“Don’t be afraid to say you’re not OK,” she said.

Principal Ryan Schubart said he was thrilled to bring the event to Kellam to help students prepare to be enrolled in college or trade school, enlisted in the military or employed in a rewarding job when they graduate from high school.