Finding the "Why" with Jared Lina

Finding the

"WHY"

with Jared Lina '97

I

An Interview with Blanche Slade Hancock '88

f you have the opportunity to meet Jared Lina, O’Neal Class of 1997, do yourself a favor and ask him about his time as a student and athlete at The O’Neal School. It is with pure delight and warmth that he speaks of his 14 years at the School.

Jared attended two major events at O’Neal in the spring of 2022, the Alumni Golf Tournament/Alumni Day and the reception to honor Beth Whitman. As a result of conversations that he had with a few key individuals, including Head of School John Elmore, and Jared’s varied education and career milestones, he was a clear choice to approach as the 2023 Commencement Speaker. I was lucky enough to place the call to Jared, requesting that he speak to our upcoming graduates.

With utter glee and absolutely no hesitation, Jared agreed to the task.

The 2023 O’Neal Commencement was fantastic, due in great part to the energy, enthusiasm, and genuineness that Jared Lina brought to the lectern as he addressed the graduates. His reflections about O’Neal, in combination with his discussions about his experiences as an adult and a parent, led to advice that was readily accepted by the young adults with whom he shared the stage. He kept every single one of us enchanted and entertained. When thinking back to May of 2023 and Jared’s remarks, we were curious to know more details….to know the ‘why’ of what he had to say. Again, Jared did not skip a beat in agreeing to provide what we asked.

● In your commencement speech you made the following statement: “I say this without hyperbole. No one loves O’Neal as much as I do. I absolutely love this place. I love my time here. I love the teachers here. I love everything about it. The whole vibe of O’Neal I loved it.”

As you wrote your commencement speech, you had time to truly reflect on your experience at O’Neal. Can you give examples of more specific activities, events, or experiences that you recall at O’Neal that may have helped you to resolve in making this statement? In other words…. Explain WHY you love O’Neal.

Jared's Senior Picture and Quote in the Yearbook 4

Being asked to be the O’Neal commencement speaker is probably the greatest honor of my life. I meant every word of what I said about O’Neal.

earliest memories of O’Neal were right there in that kindergarten trailer. (Yes, our classroom was a doublewide trailer near where the upper school currently sits.)

The legendary Mrs. Trent When I found out I was unflappable.

So was going to be the much grace, patience and graduation speaker, poise. So much energy some of the very first and optimism. So much people I told were my love and passion for old classmates and teaching.

Each week, friends from my time we’d study a different at O’Neal. They gave letter of the alphabet, me so much inspiration and the week would and encouragement. culminate with a snack We reminisced about so that started with that many great memories. letter. 'A' was apples.

Mrs. Trent's Kindergarten Class The first that come 'C' was carrots. 'H' was to mind are the legendary teachers and coaches, honey. The clear highlight was always the letter 'F'. It back-to-back MathCounts championships with Mrs. became a thing of folklore over the years. Every spring, Whitman in middle school, O’Neal’s first two conference Mrs. Trent brought in a bunsen burner and made titles in soccer with Coach Mauser, 4 straight state 'flapjacks' for the entire class. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen championships in golf with Coach Dahl, and the epic a group of happier people. class trips. Mostly, though, we just recalled a lot of hilarious stories from our time at O’Neal and reflected on all the truly great people.

About Jared Lina

● What is your earliest memory of being a student at The O’Neal School? Does the memory stand out because of the setting, the teacher, the situation, or something else.

Mr. Lina grew up in Moore County, where his father was one of the original physicians in the Pinehurst Radiology Group and a former member of the O’Neal Board of Trustees. He attended O’Neal from 1983 to 1997. He served as class president and Key Club president during his senior year, was the Triad Conference Player of the Year in soccer, was a 3-time All State golfer, won 4 team state titles in golf, and was one of the 3 Valedictorians of his graduating class. Mr. Lina graduated from Duke University in 2001 with degrees in Economics and Psychology. From 2001 to 2004, Jared worked as a production assistant and associate producer at ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut, where he was the recipient of three Emmy Awards for his work on SportsCenter and Sunday NFL Countdown. Jared then attended law school at Georgia State University College of Law, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude. After working in two large Atlanta law firms, Jared has spent the past 10 years as a partner in the law firm of Goldstein, Hayes & Lina.

Jared married his college girlfriend, Pam, in 2005. They have two wonderful daughters -- Lucy and Lydia. They both attend the Lovett School. Jared previously served on the Board of Advisors for Camp Sea Gull and Camp Seafarer and is a current member of the Duke University Atlanta Alumni Board. He is also one of the newest members of The O’Neal School’s Board of Trustees.

I apparently wasn’t quite ready for the rigors of first grade back in the early 1980s, so I got to spend two years in Mrs. Trent’s kindergarten class. My

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● We ask our graduates to give us the one memory that they enjoyed the most during their time at O’Neal. What would be yours?

double-wide trailer. Yet you have wonderful memories of your youth at O’Neal and a thriving experience through graduation.

Where do you feel one should look to find the value of an independent school?

Wow. That feels like an impossible question. So many great ones come to mind. I think my graduation day is the one that stands out above all others. It was such a beautiful culmination of our time together at O’Neal. We all celebrated together, and we all celebrated each other.

I think it’s pretty rare for an ENTIRE graduating class to want to hang out together following the graduation ceremony. We all genuinely loved each other, and we all knew how fortunate we were to have each other. When we had our 20-year reunion in 2017, around 90% of the class came back for the event – nearly all of us from out of town. Twenty years later, the love and support felt the same then as it did in 1997.

Another easy one. I think you have to look to the school community – the families, the students, the parents, the administration, the teachers and the local supporters. I feel like, for the most part, O’Neal families have always bought into O’Neal, and they want O’Neal to succeed and to keep getting better. The same with the teachers, coaches and administration. You have people like Lyn Cagle, Beth Garrison and Woody Wilder, who have been teaching at O’Neal for well over 25 years. That speaks for itself. You have former O’Neal parents, who have remained actively involved in O’Neal’s growth decades after their children graduated. You have a large base of current and past families, who give their time, energy and support to O’Neal without hesitation. You have a group of students who support and encourage each other. I don’t think most schools have such a committed, forward-looking and supportive community. I think if you can find that type of community in an independent school, you’ve found something truly special.

● You contributed to conference and state championships in at least two different sports. You graduated as valedictorian of your class and attended a university with a single-digit acceptance rate (Duke University). It appears that your time at O’Neal was very successful. Other than your own innate abilities, what other components do you feel (within and/or outside of O’Neal) supported you with your achievements?

Much easier question. I give a ton of credit to the unwavering support of the teachers, coaches and students at O’Neal. Everyone had my back and truly wanted me (and everyone else) to succeed.

I should clarify that I was a co-valedictorian, along with Helen Holmberg and Gabrielle Miller-Messner. Helen was O’Neal’s first ever Morehead Scholar, and Gabrielle was a National Merit Finalist, who went to Dartmouth.

We had lots of other classmates with equally impressive academic and athletic accolades. This was an incredibly talented group of people, and we all just wanted each other to succeed. There was no jealousy, animosity or bullying. We just all supported and pushed each other, which made it a lot easier to be successful. ● Did it ever occur to you to go to high school anywhere other than O’Neal? Why or why not?

First Grade

It literally never crossed my mind. I knew I had a great thing going. Someone would have had to drag me out of there kicking and screaming.

● Whenever one has the opportunity to speak to you about O’Neal, your recollection of your time here is almost magical. You referred to your request to be O’Neal’s 2023 Commencement speaker as an enormous honor. Can you explain more about why you feel this way?

•You started at Wallace O’Neal Day School – a private, tuitionbased school - as a kindergartener with a classroom in a 6

My parents are both from New Jersey. They both went to NYU. They were not southerners by any stretch of the imagination. When you think about all the wild things that had to happen for us to move to Southern Pines and for me to go to this tiny independent school with trailers as classrooms, you realize just how blessed I was. I get emotional when I think about the amazing teachers and coaches I had during my time at O’Neal. My classmates and friends were the best of the best. These were truly exceptional people. The confidence I gathered during my 14 years at O’Neal is the thing that stands out the most to me. I graduated thinking I could do anything I wanted to do. The confidence instilled in young people at O’Neal is simply off the charts. I went to my dream college, landed my dream job and have lived my dream life – all as a direct result of the confidence I gained and the person I became during my time at O’Neal.

experience at O’Neal and your high regard for the School, what do you seek to accomplish during your time on the Board?

Another great honor of my lifetime! As an alumus and someone who has closely followed O’Neal’s history and growth over the past 40 years, and as someone who now has two daughters, who are enrolled in one of Atlanta’s premier independent schools, I think I offer a very unique and helpful perspective to O’Neal’s current Board. I think O’Neal is in a wonderful place right now. Our Head of School, John Elmore, is such a great asset to our school, and I have deep admiration and appreciation for all of O’Neal’s past and present Board members.

I want to make sure that O’Neal maintains its forward-looking mindset, continuing to get better, continuing to separate itself from other private schools, and continuing to adapt to the changing times. At the same time, I’d like to see greater involvement from O’Neal’s impressive roster of alumni.

We have so many former students and parents, who thrived at O’Neal and in their lives after O’Neal. As we consider the growth and future of O’Neal, I genuinely hope we’re able to engage more alumni, who I think have so much to offer to the current O’Neal community.

"I graduated thinking I could do anything I wanted to do. The confidence instilled in young people at O’Neal is simply off the charts. ”

I was 26 years removed from O’Neal when I received the invitation to come back as the graduation speaker.

My throat swelled up and I struggled to even get out the words to accept the invitation. I obviously loved my time at O’Neal, but I am so proud of what O’Neal has become in the 26 years since I graduated. I tell everyone that O’Neal is now one of the premier private schools in the Southeast.

The campus, the credentials of the administration and staff, the athletic success, and the ridiculously talented students who seem to roll through there year after year. To be associated with that in any way -and to even be considered worthy of speaking at O’Neal’s graduation -- is simply mind-blowing to me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who made that happen.

(And a special thanks to my (2-time) Kindergarten classmate and lifelong friend, Will Tattersall, for being there in person to support me.) ● You accepted the invitation to serve as a Trustee on O’Neal’s Board. Given your

Jared Lina with retired teacher Cindi Carr and Middle School Division Assistant Jan Simmons 7