CityView Magazine

30 | Februar y 2020 F E A T U R E I t's early aernoon on a Monday, and Dr. Peggy Valentine has just returned from having lunch in the campus cafeteria with a group of students. "e rotisserie chicken was very good," she announces, as she enters her office as the new Interim Chancellor of Fayetteville State University. But it's the conversation that really has her pumped. "I feed off the students' energy," she says. "I want to know their stories and why they came to Fayetteville State. "I tell them, 'Set your goals high. Dream BIG. e sky's the limit! Don't settle!'" Valentine knows a bit about making dreams come true through hard work and determination. As the oldest of eight children of sharecroppers in southern Virginia, she learned early-on the value in a day's work – and how an education would be the ticket to a life filled with opportunities and adventures. On this day, somehow her so yellow leather jacket and matching high heels are fitting examples of her personality – equal parts sunny and strength – although she lately admits to adding a bit more Bronco Blue to her wardrobe. She moves with grace and purpose. Her eyes are attentive, making each person believe that they're the only one in the room. So ringlet curls frame her face, complete with a 100-watt smile. Her perfectly manicured nails are painted aqua, conjuring images of a favorite place to relax and recharge: the beach. Albeit, probably not anytime soon. At FSU, Valentine has hit the ground running and is enjoying every second of the journey. Whether she's addressing faculty and staff, shining on-camera for a TV interview, throwing out the first pitch at a Fayetteville Woodpeckers game, or sharing lunch and conversation with students, she thrives by keeping active. And keeping it real. The early years Peggy Ann Valentine, who simply states her birthday as mid-October, is the firstborn of Odessa and Nelson Valentine. Seven siblings would follow. e family were sharecroppers who lived and toiled on a farm in Ringgold, in south-central Virginia, just a stone's throw from the North Carolina border. "I hated that way of life," Valentine says. "I hated tobacco. But it gave me such a strong work ethic." Valentine recalls that her family used most of the money they earned to buy staples such as cornmeal and sugar, along with school clothes for the children. Killing hogs for meat was a common practice in lean times. She knew that she wanted more for her life – and the way to achieve it would be through education. "My father told me, 'If you want to go to college, you've got to do it on your own.'" Growing up, Valentine says one of the most influential people in her life was her pastor, Bishop Lawrence Campbell, of Bibleway Church in Danville, Virginia. Meet Fayetteville State's Interim Chancellor BY JANET GIBSON | PHOTOGRAPHY BY CINDY BURNHAM

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