Cobb County

American Idol winner Jamal Roberts encourages metro Atlanta high schoolers to ‘dream big’

NOW PLAYING ABOVE

MABLETON, Ga. — American Idol winner Jamal Roberts was in metro Atlanta Thursday to speak to students about reaching for their dreams.

Channel 2’s Lori Wilson was at Pebblebrook High School, where Roberts encouraged the students at the performing arts high school in Cobb County to keep pushing.

The Season 23 winner is a star who takes giving back seriously.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

That’s why just a week and a half after his big win, he was in Mableton speaking with students and encouraging them to pursue their passions.

“Stay true to yourself, don’t be afraid to dream big,” Roberts told the high schoolers.

TRENDING STORIES:

Roberts, a 27-year-old former P.E. teacher from Meridian, Miss. is a proud “girl dad.” His third daughter was born near the end of the competition.

The singer was raised in church. When a student asked him about what words he’s heard from God about sharing his gift of music, Roberts said to stay optimistic.

“Hope and heal. You gotta have hope and whatever you’re going through that’s stopping you from getting to where you’re trying to get, you gotta heal from it,” Roberts said. “The question is, do you know how to heal?”

Roberts took pictures with the Pebblebrook students and engaged with them, not like the rising star he is, but like a teacher and a father, someone who wants them to succeed.

While he’s still fresh from his win, everyone wanted to know what was he going to do next, but he couldn’t share all of his plans.

“I can’t stop right now, I can’t stop, but I can’t tell y’all everything,” Roberts said. “It may look like I ain’t got nothing going on, but I got a lot going on, but there’s some big things going on, lots of dates, a lot of shows.”

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

0