Bronco Pride Meets Dr. Valentine
posted by Shawnsuki Brooks | October 9, 2019 | In NewsThe new Interim Chancellor, Dr. Peggy Valentine, wants Broncos to know that she is “proud to be” and ready for any challenges.
Dr. Valentine is originally from Danville, VA, which is close enough to North Carolina that she went to school in Milton, NC. She comes from rural communities, and her family were sharecroppers. Growing up, Dr. Valentine gained many fond memories as well as some less fond ones.
“Working in tobacco fields was something I hated,” said Valentine as she spoke of her childhood and what led her from country to city life.
At an early age she did not want the same lifestyle as other young girls who wished to stay home, get married, and have kids. She preferred the fancy dresses and to smell good, like her auntie from New York, who frequently came to visit.
And one week after graduation at the young age of 17, Dr. Valentine packed up and moved to Washington, D.C. She was too young to work without a permit, but if she wanted to go to college she would have to “do it herself,” as her daddy once said. She took those words to heart and became a glorified office assistant. But she was no longer stringing tobacco.
Although, Dr. Valentine believes stringing tobacco is what brought out her strong work ethic, which then led to working hard going to college and getting in to nursing school at the University of the District of Columbia.
One year after graduating, she ran into a friend who had become a physician assistant. She knew that if he could do it, surely she could, too.
One month after graduating from Howard University, she received the call to be a part of the faculty at Winston-Salem State University.
“It has opened my life to many possibilities like teaching, getting grants, doing national work, international work and all that just cultivated me into getting leadership positions, one after the other, and here I am today at Fayetteville State University,” Dr. Valentine said.
While stating that the achievement she was most proud of was becoming Interim Chancellor of FSU, she also stated her biggest challenge was the shooting of a former student on campus on September 12, and not knowing how it was going to turn out.
She also mentioned that move-in day and throwing first pitch during FSU Night at the Woodpeckers stadium were very fun days for her, and she was excited for homecoming and all the festivities to come.
When asked what one thing she wanted to leave with us, she stated: “I want you to know that I am committed to you. I am committed to your success. I know that you can do it because you got admitted into this university, and that tells me that you come in and have the skills already. You come in with abilities. Let us help you to develop into the person you were made to be. Let us help you reach your next level in life to be amazing men and women of the 21st century. So I know that you can do it, and go Broncos!”
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