Amber Noggle

“I will never forget any of the staff members that influenced my growth along the way,” said Amber. “The academic, social and athletic skills that rounded out my development were all learned during my time as a public school student. However, one lesson taught to me by Mr. Bob VanHorn is foremost in my thinking. That lesson is to always keep your word. A promise made is a pledge to fulfill. Coach VanHorn never spoke these words, but by his actions, he always demonstrated their worth. When I was a junior in high school, I was the anchor on a medley relay swimming team that earned First Team Consensus All-American honors. Coach VanHorn promised that all positions would be earned and I earned mine. There were no school divisions in those days and every school in Ohio was lumped into one pool. We swam against the best competition in the state and thanks to the quality of coaching that we received, we fared well. The day of the State Swimming Finals, I came down with a fever. I worked for years to arrive at this moment and the sickness could have kept me out of the pool. Coach said, “This is your spot, Amber. Do your best.” He could have pulled me from the pool, but he didn’t. He promised to let us earn our spots and he wasn’t going to take it away from anyone, for any reason. The race was heated and headed toward a record swim. When I dove into the water we were in first place. I swam my best, but we finished third. I have never wondered about the outcome if Coach would have replaced me with another swimmer. That imagined outcome would never have been possible because all promises were kept and a lifelong lesson was delivered. Keeping a promise means everything to me. When I make one, I keep it. One of the other swimmers who finished ahead of me became an Olympic Medalist. I’m certain that she also understands the value of commitment. When I graduated, I was prepared. My public school education was more than enough to open the doors of the Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University. Recognized as one of the premier schools of journalism in the nation, it is also a public university. I am thankful for all things in life. The good and the bad are both weighed on the scale of learning and balanced by the choices made. My family chose the path of my education in Oak Harbor and my university chose me. I deeply appreciate the value that both choices added to my life. I came from an Ohio public school and I am proud to say so.”