Callie Fisher (Track & Field (Indoor), Texas Southern University) grew up in Indianapolis. HelloNation asks student athletes one question about the place that raised them and records the answer on camera. This is Callie Fisher’s, in full.
The question
Tell us about a teacher or mentor from high school who challenged you the most or inspired you in a way that still shapes who you are today. Who are they, and what lesson from them do you carry into your life now?
The answer, as recorded
Transcript. What follows is a transcript of the video above, in Callie Fisher’s own words. It has not been rewritten, and no part of it was drafted for them.
Hey y'all, it's Callie. I'm back. I'm from Indianapolis, Indiana, and as y'all know, I attend Texas Southern University, but this question right here really resonates with me deeply because it's about a teacher or mentor from my high school who has shaped me and challenged me the most in my athletic career. And for me, that is no questions asked, no doubt about it, Coach Johnson. Coach Johnson is my high school coach from the third high school I attended, spring high school. Graduated from there last year, class 2025, you know. But Coach Johnson and me, we didn't have the best relationship when I first came there, you know. I transferred there from Sigh Falls when I was in the end of my sophomore year of high school, and being there with her, I just didn't like being there. Like, I didn't like the environment or anything, but once I let my guard down a lot and actually gave her a chance, she became a mother figure to me at school because my mom, she worked on trucks, so she was out of town a lot, so I wouldn't be with my mom. But my coach, she was who I would go, I would go to her room and cry to her about my problems. I would just lean on her shoulder. I would help her out, and she would help me out. She's the one who took me to get my driver's license. So Coach Johnson will always have a true dear spot in my heart forever and always. I will love and respect Coach Johnson for the rest of my life. She taught me no matter what struggles I'm going through in life, I can always get through them. I can always overcome something. I can be the bigger person in life. Like, I don't have to hold grudges. I don't have to be mad. I don't have to be sad because those are all feelings. And one thing she taught me so well is that I should always trust and believe in God, and with that, I did. And doing that, I was able to get to the places I am today. She helped me reach out to college coaches. She's the one who got me to the college I'm at now. Like, if it wasn't for Coach Johnson, I can confidently say I don't feel like I will be in the places I am or going to the places I'm going to. Coach Johnson is one of the best figures I've ever had.
Recorded by HelloNation as part of its athlete voices program and published by Hello Newswire, HelloNation’s good news newswire. The words are the speaker’s own.
Reported by Hello Newswire.