A commitment to honorable behavior permeates every aspect of the Ashley Hall community, and this week Upper School students were challenged to think deeply about the place of honor within their own lives. Serving as guest speaker, WCBD television anchor Carolyn Murray, mother to Reese Terry ’20, exhorted students to have the courage to act with integrity in both their personal and professional lives. “You are making a commitment not to others, but to yourself,” Murray noted. “You are making the commitment to be courageous, to act with integrity, to do thinks deliberately, and to be dignified. When you say the words ‘I will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor tolerate those who do,’ you commit to yourself first to pursue excellence in all that you do and to ultimately make the most of your life and your time in this world.”
Remarking on her choice of career, Murray emphasized the need for journalists to act with integrity and get the story right, even if it comes with a high price, including threats of harm. For Murray, the risks are worth the reward of living a life of accountability. “It is important to always seek truth, even if you are challenged,” she said. “So often we are unable to debate and respond to issues because we don’t always agree on the facts, but facts and truth matter. They matter every day to those who work honorably.”