The Faulk siblings are former Blackman Voice staffers that have applied the skills they learned on The Voice staff as well as at Blackman to aide them in their careers and lives today.  

“I went to MTSU and majored in early childhood education but decided to take some time off to decide if that’s really the route I wanted to go. I was starting to be more interested in business administration/management and then ended up moving to west Tennessee,” stated Abby Faulk. Abby Faulk was on the business staff on The Blackman Voice, and that helped lead to her finding her passion for business. 

“I love teaching and inspiring kids, but the further into my degree I got, the more I learned that teachers these days are so limited in what they can actually do because of all the state standards and tests. It’s less about teaching kids and more about looking good on paper,” said Faulk, “but I was still intrigued by business so here in west Tennesse, I partnered with one of my best friends to run her cleaning and lawn business, and that has allowed me to use all of my experience I got from The Voice.” 

Faulk also explained that she aspires to potentially start her own business one day. She explains that she’s equipped to do this because of her occupation currently. “We are a two-woman operation so every aspect of the business I have touched somehow. Marketing, scheduling, billing, client interaction, we are there for all of it,” stated Abby Faulk. 

“I definitely wouldn’t have the confidence or knowledge on how to perform professional phone calls and meetings if it weren’t for the phone calls/meetings we had to do at age 16 in order to get financial support for The Voice from businesses in the community,” said Abby Faulk. What Faulk learned from being on The Voice staff gave her a foundation that helps her in her profession now. 

Some of Faulk’s favorite teachers at Blackman were some of the English teachers. “The English teachers are the best group of women you will ever meet! Mrs. Sims, Ms. Walker, Mrs. Boyd, Mrs. Cook, Mrs. Stone, they all went above and beyond for us and impacted us more than they will ever know. And it’s so fun being able to still keep in contact with them as adults and cheering each other on in all of our crazy life adventures. Blackman has some rock star teachers that definitely outweigh any negative ones you encounter,” said Abby Faulk. 

Rick Faulk is the grocery price changer at Kroger in Tacoma, Washington. He uses the lessons he learned from The Blackman Voice as well as from the band to help him in his career. 

“I was the graphics/focus editor my senior year. There I learned to speak my mind and stand behind my opinions,” said Rick Faulk.  

Faulk explained that being on The Blackman Voice taught him to listen to everyone’s opinions. He said that the newspaper taught him to see everyone’s opinion as valid. 

Faulk stated that Ms. Walker impacted his life by giving up her planning period to allow him to work on graphics for the paper. “She taught me to do whatever you can for someone trying to succeed,” Rick Faulk said. 

“I was drum major my senior year and band taught me a lot of leadership skills and how to lead others instead of being ‘in charge’ of them. Our big thing was ‘what you give is what you get,’ and I think that is applicable towards my profession,” said Rick Faulk. 

Band also impacted Rick Faulk’s life by teaching him how to be a leader as well as improving his work ethic. He carries these lessons in his life to this day. 

Gini Faulk is an account coordinator for Estee Lauder inside Ulta Beauty. She has ten stores and manages a team of fifteen freelance artists who support a three-million-dollar cosmetics market. 

“One of the most important lessons I learned [from] The Blackman Voice was leadership and cooperation. I was a copy editor and frequently had to correct others’ work with diplomacy and tact. It prepared me professionally to grow my interpersonal skills and allowed me to grow into a leadership position,” said Gini Faulk. 

The takeaways that Gini Faulk got from being on the journalism staff at Blackman were how to effectively lead as well as working well with others. She carries these skills into her profession. 

“Ms. Walker still remains a close friend to this day, and [she] always steered me in the right direction. Mrs. Cook and Mrs. Boyd were instrumental in making sure my head was screwed on straight and kept me laughing during some of my hardest times,” said Gini Faulk. 

Teachers clearly impacted Gini Faulk’s life for the better. They provided relief for her during rough moments and made high school more enjoyable for her overall. 

Overall, the Faulk siblings took lessons and skills learned from Blackman High School to impact their lives in positive ways. Also, teachers affected their lives by being role models and shaping their lives. The Faulk siblings accredit Blackman High School and The Blackman Voice for many of their successes today.