Successful Graduate, Rene Merideth, Shares Story with Students
Dr. Suess wrote, "Kid, you’ll move mountains! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So get on your way!" We believe that is true of all of our students, but some surpass even the goals we set for them. Rene Merideth is one of those students. She graduated from Lonedell School in 1988. She describes how she felt somewhat lost in those early days, and how one teacher really helped her find her first love: music.
As a young clarinet player, Rene learned from Mrs.Terry Durgin. "My life wasn't great during those years. We didn't have a lot of money, and I often felt more than a bit lost. Music helped me to stay focused and helped to keep the fire in my belly for working in the music business," says Rene, "Mrs. Durgin was a great positive influence on my life and part of the reason I was able to achieve what I could."
And achieve she has. Many people believe that being from a small town limits you. Not the case with Merideth. She started a company with her friend Aaron. The company, Exploration Group, located in Santa Monica, California, works as a third party administrator for songwriters, music publishers, artists, record labels, and film makers to make sure they are getting everything they should be from the various digital music platforms like YouTube, Spotify, Amazon, SoundCloud, as well as others. They built the foundation on the principle that education is key to success and happiness. "You cannot work in the business of music in the 21st century without knowing how the business works. Our focus is on not only collecting monies from digital platforms for uses of our client's songs, but to educate them and the general public about the value of music, why it should be protected and how to protect it," says Merideth.
With all she has done, she has never forgotten Lonedell School. She proved that in a big way by donating $1000 to the band program as well as a new flute, which was won by Trevor L. She also spoke with our students in morning assembly, sharing her story about hard work and overcoming obstacles. About the visit, Merideth says, "It was also exciting to speak to Mrs. Miller's class about the industry and to help them learn more about everything that goes into the music they hear on the radio. I hope that I can help Mrs. Durgin and Mrs. Miller more in the future!"
Rene, thank you for sharing your life and success with our students. You've made Lonedell very proud.