TIFFIN, Ohio — Heidelberg University students are getting a chance to hear from some prolific figures from across the country.
Wednesday's speaker was Yusef Salaam, one of the Central Park Five who were coerced into confessing to a rape they didn't commit in 1989 and eventually exonerated 25 years later.
After serving 6 years and 8 months in prison for a crime he didn't commit, you would think Salaam would be angry about what happened to him.
But in front of a full house of Heidelberg students, he shared the life lessons he learned about moving on after being wronged by others.
"It's about becoming better because of the situation and not embittered by it," Salaam said. "Because if you become embittered by it, that bitterness will turn its ugly head on you. Like Nelson Mandela said, it's like drinking poison and expecting your enemy to die."
Salaam's overarching messages for students were to use moments of adversity to evaluate how they can add value to the system and to always be a participant in society and others' lives while fighting for justice for others.
"How do we use our kaleidoscope of the human family to move forward, to be better for it?" Salaam said. "It's one thing to make mistakes, if we call it that. It's another thing to apologize for those things and be better for it."
Salaam was the latest keynote speaker in Heidelberg's HYPE Career Ready program, which brings in experts from a variety of fields to pass on their life lessons to future professionals.
"Everyone has had a different life experience, so you have to meet them where they are" Megan Vesely, a senior at Heidelberg, said. 'Be patient, kind and gracious for who you are and also to know their stories and backgrounds as well."
Katie Emling, a junior at Heidelberg said the variety of speakers has been valuable.
"Coming to watch these speakers, it definitely gives great insight into other people's careers and how you can take that and apply it to what you're going to do," Emling said.
When young people are empowered and know that they matter, it can open doors to them achieving their full potential, Salaam said.
"They get the opportunity to be embraced by society, society embraces them and they embrace society," Salaam said. "Therefore. they get the opportunity as well to give the best of themselves, to not hold back."
Heidelberg University will be hosting one more Hype Career Ready keynote speaker, Andrea Peterson, a contributor for The Wall Street Journal who will be speaking on mental health.