By Liam Sweeney
News Writer
Graphic by Ana Bicolli

Metea Valley is kicking off the year by getting a pair of motivational speakers to speak for students. Former NBA star Eddy Curry and his spouse, writer, and motivational speaker Patrice Curry will be speaking this Wednesday after school at 2:05 p.m. in the LMC.

Eddy and Patrice live together in Los Angeles and are both coming to Aurora for the “Aurora Back-to-School Fair,” an event which Metea is heavily involved in. The 7th Ward Alderman of Aurora Scheketa Hart-Burns has invited the Curries to stay longer, specifically to come and speak at Metea. Alderman Hart-Burns and Jennifer Rowe, Freshman Dean at Metea, worked closely together to make sure this event could occur.

Eddy Curry was a former NBA player for the New York Knicks, Miami Heat, and most importantly, the Chicago Bulls. Eddy was born in Harvey, Illinois, and later got his education at Thornwood High School in South Holland, Illinois.

Patrice Curry is a writer and motivational speaker. She has already spoken at Metea for the Women’s Black History Month event, where she was the keynote speaker. She also spent time as a Reality TV star on VH1.

Rowe, as one of the main organizers of this event, states that all students are welcome to come out and hear our guests speak for free. “Some of our kids have already met with Patrice as a part of the Women’s Black History Month event, and some of our girls saw her again at another event a few weeks later. They would be very excited to hear that she is coming back,” Rowe said.

“We were also looking into getting kids from the athletic department too, but all students are invited to join.” Rowe added. Thanks to Curry’s former NBA status, many of the student athletes are encouraged to attend.

The event, while not widely publicized due to school not starting, has still garnered a good first impression among students. “I always think it’s great to get the school together and motivated. It’s fun,” senior Delaney Biegelmann said.