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By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times
The sounds of students singing filled Norwood Elementary School Friday morning as teachers dressed in camouflage and students wearing their school colors of green welcomed a special guest whose career has been built on music, entrepreneurship and perseverance.
Before taking the stage at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) Friday night, music mogul and entrepreneur Percy “Master P” Miller spent the morning with Birmingham students, sharing lessons about education, consistency, networking and the importance of refusing to let circumstances determine their futures.
Miller was joined by Captain Ace, the blue-dog mascot and educational character associated with his school visits and assemblies. Together, they turned the celebrity appearance into a lesson centered on positive choices, learning, and believing in one’s potential.
The visit also brought together Birmingham city and school leaders, including Mayor Randall L. Woodfin, Birmingham City Schools Superintendent Dr. Mark Sullivan and members of the school system’s staff and leadership.
At the conclusion of the assembly, Woodfin and Sullivan presented Miller with a proclamation honoring his visit to Norwood Elementary.
At the conclusion of the assembly, Mayor Randall Woodfin and Superintendent Dr. Mark Sullivan presented a proclamation in honor of Miller’s visit. (Birmingham City Schools)“Keep chasing your dreams.”
For Miller, however, the morning was less about recognition and more about the children sitting in front of him.
“I love the kids,” Miller told the students. “Even though I got a show, I’m like, no, I got to come and touch the kids because that’s the future.”
Miller said his focus is on what he described as “saving the next generation” and educating young people so they can recognize their potential.
“I want these kids to know that they can fly over all this negative,” he said.
That message became personal when Miller reflected on his own childhood.
He told students he grew up living with his grandparents, who had 12 children. His family lived in a three-bedroom housing project, but Miller said he refused to allow his circumstances to define what was possible for him.
“I didn’t let my condition stop me, and I don’t want you guys to let your condition stop you,” he told the students.
Miller repeatedly returned to the idea that dreams require action.
“There’s no limit to your dreams,” he said, emphasizing that success requires work and that students cannot “cheat the game of life.”
He then asked the students how many of them wanted to be successful. The room responded.
Miller used a familiar example to explain one of his central lessons: McDonald’s.
After asking students what the restaurant sells, he shifted the conversation from hamburgers to consistency.
“McDonald’s is selling consistency,” Miller said.
He explained that a Big Mac is expected to taste the same wherever it is purchased, using that familiarity as an analogy for persistence.
“Keep doing something, not giving up,” he told the students. “Keep chasing your dreams, doing something every day to get that, even when it don’t look like it’s gonna happen.”
Scholars assembled in the gym to perform a song for Miller, who shared words of wisdom with the student body. (Birmingham City Schools)“Somebody’s gonna make it big.”
Miller also challenged the students to think about the relationships they are building now. He asked whether they understood what networking means before explaining that the people sitting beside them today could become important figures in their lives tomorrow.
Miller shared a story about a girl he knew when he was in school — someone he said other people did not like or treated negatively. Years later, she became a bank president. When Miller needed a loan, he said, she remembered how kind he had been to her when they were younger.
“You never know who’s gonna be what in here,” Miller said.
He encouraged students to introduce themselves to others, learn their names and treat people well.
“That’s networking,” he said.
For Miller, the lesson went beyond professional connections. He encouraged students to recognize the possibility within one another.
“Who’s gonna be a doctor? Who’s gonna be a lawyer? Who gonna be a teacher?” he asked. “Who gonna be the president of the bank? Who gonna be the mayor? Who gonna be the superintendent?”
Miller said students cannot know where their classmates will end up, which makes how they treat one another today important.
“Somebody’s gonna make it big,” he said. “And it could be all you guys.”
After the assembly, Master P, Captain Ace and Mayor Randall Woodfin read to one the classes. (Birmingham City Schools)Moments of Celebration
The visit was also filled with moments of celebration. Before Miller addressed the students, Norwood teachers and scholars welcomed him with a robust singalong to “The Affirmation Song,” creating an energetic introduction to the morning’s message.
The appearance of Captain Ace added another layer to the program. The character is part of Miller’s educational work with children, with school assemblies and musical programs addressing topics including anti-bullying, stranger danger and mental health awareness.
Miller said he has spent years making time for young people because he sees them as the future.
The message aligned with the presence of Birmingham’s education and civic leadership throughout the morning. Woodfin and Birmingham City Schools leadership have increasingly emphasized connecting children with educational, enrichment and career opportunities across the city. Earlier this year, the city announced its Children and Youth Commission’s Cradle-to-Career Roadmap, a strategy designed to connect the systems and resources influencing children from early education through adulthood.
For Norwood students, however, the morning offered a more immediate lesson: the opportunity to see someone who built a career from a childhood that did not necessarily predict the future he ultimately created.
As Miller prepared to leave, he encouraged students to keep working, keep learning and keep believing in themselves.
“I kept going,” he told them, reflecting on the people who once told him he would not succeed. “That’s what I want you guys to do. Keep going, no matter what your conditions is. No matter what your environment is.”
