Woodall Visits Mill Creek

UPDATED FEB. 24

Congressman Rob Woodall wants students to get inspired and be excited about the future.

“I don’t care what it is you’re excited about, but be excited about something,” he said.

Woodall visited this morning to speak to students in advanced placement government and political systems classes.

A long-time aide to former seventh district representative John Linder, Woodall said he has a “heart of service” that inspired him to give up a lucrative law career to serve first as Linder’s chief of staff and now as a freshman congressman. Woodall explained politics is his calling and encouraged students to seek out a career that will bring them true job satisfaction.

“Decide what you really want to do and choose a path that allows you to do it,” he said.  “Find an opportunity to contribute that you love and the rest will take care of itself.”

While Woodall's speech was primarily motivational, he did take time to address several serious .

“We have made promises with no revenue to back it,” Woodall said. “We’re talking about a real catastrophic coming to terms – an economic reckoning – that’s right around the corner.”

Woodall said it was important for students to understand the severity of the country’s economic situation since it is today’s youth that will pay these debts in the future.

“You ought to be scared about that,” he said. “We’ve got to solve it.”

Though some of the discussion touched on complicated topics, Mill Creek senior MacKenzie Senesac said Woodall did a good job explaining the issues.

“He provided us with a lot of information, but it was at a level we could understand,” she said.

Tiffany Bennett, also a senior, said the speech was “excellent.”

“I thought he was very entertaining, but informational. I really enjoyed it to be honest,” she said.

Rep. Woodall said he also enjoyed his visit to the school.

“The Mill Creek students are wonderful examples of why the Gwinnett County School System is the proud recipient of the Broad Prize for Urban Education,” Woodall said.  “I enjoyed every second and I hope that they too got something out my visit.”

“The results Mill creek produces under Principal Markham and his staff are a prime example of the kind of success a community can achieve without federal government intervention.  It’s a fantastic operation and based on our interaction this morning, the students are clearly the beneficiary,”  he added.

district includes all of Barrow and Walton counties, most of Gwinnett County, and portions of Forsyth and Newton counties