By Junious Smith III

It's been a long time since I've wanted anything material for my birthday.

This year will be no different, as I plan on celebrating with family and friends. Saturday also doubles as Fayetteville State's homecoming weekend, so seeing some familiar faces will certainly be fun.

Outside of that? I wouldn't know what to ask for. That stopped around my 16th birthday and 15 years later, it's no better. I mean, bill and spending money is always appreciated (Cash App: $FlourishSeason) but I do have a few relatively practical birthday wishes for the community.

To the students, continue to kill it in the classroom. I know my primary focus is covering athletics (and I definitely want to see success on the field), but to those who play sports, you can't be eligible with bad grades. I'm excited to hear about strong GPAs, extracurricular activities, projects and everything else you have going on. Continue to make an impact in your area, and be strong role models for the younger generation.

To the coaches, thank you for being great ambassadors for the school. Many see your school by how you operate the programs, and it's not just about wins and losses. There are numerous personalities on each team, playing time to administer, egos to check, but most importantly, another strong figure for each person on the court or field. Continue to be great beacons for the teams you coach, along with the community.

(Also, if there's no Neuse News representation at a game, feel free to send results to jsmith@neusenews.com so I can at least get it in the roundup. It helps immensely.)

To the community, keep representing your area with pride while also being understanding we can't make it everywhere. Thank you for putting your trust into me and also Neuse News to put together accurate and timely material. Thank you for tuning in to our endeavors, whether written, video and anything else.

Looking back, 30 was an alright year. I have the feeling 31 will be absolutely spectacular.