The Union City Academic Top-10 banquet featured the guest speaking of former graduate Dr. Dylan Bondurant on Monday night.
School Communications Director Mike Hutchens said Dr. Bondurant’s message to honorees at the Top 10 banquet was a simple one that has withstood the test of time.
It certainly has worked out well for Bondurant.
“Grit plus discipline will get you far,” the 1999 UCHS graduate and widely-respected local optometrist told students and their honored guests at the 39th annual ceremony that celebrates top students. “Vision matters. And that’s not just looking into someone’s eyeball.
“Grit gets things done. Show up every day. Lead by example. Put others first. Make someone else’s life better. I tell my kids that every day. Never stop helping others, and start dreaming big.”
That blueprint has been the basis for Bondurant’s professional and personal success. He also insists that the education he received from Union City Schools and local support from his hometown — where he elected to settle and raise his family of five — was instrumental in his standing as a community leader.
Bondurant, accompanied by his wife, Courtney, and his parents, Jim and Mary Nita, detailed his education journey from Union City to UT Martin as an undergraduate student, and then on to optometry school in Memphis before quipping: “I’m about as West Tennessee as you can be and I’m proud of that.
“You can travel the world over and not find what we have right here in Union City. You are set up for much success because of the accomplished academic environment at Union City Schools. I have three children in the Union City System, and I wouldn’t want them to get an education anywhere else.”
Twenty-six area businesses and individuals sponsored Monday’s event that highlighted the academic accomplishments of top students in all four classes based on grade point averages.
The honorees received a special surprise when it was announced that each of the 40 students would receive a $100 bill after the ceremony, courtesy of an anonymous donor.
Union City High School Principal Jacob Cross emceed Monday’s ceremony, with Director of Schools Wes Kennedy, UCHS Vice Principal John Graham, and teacher Michelle Huffstutter reading the names of the honorees and their parents.
Of the recipients, five were recognized for the fourth time in as many years. Six honorees were recognized for the third time.
Bondurant explained his “5-4-3-2-1” philosophy when facing life’s regular challenges in closing.
“5-4-3-2-1. It’s a mental tool that I use to get started to count down to begin what I know needs to be done,” he said. “5-4-3-2-1. Take a deep breath. Put your feet on the ground and get after it.”
(photo: Mike Hutchens – School Communications Director)
