When Hall went to MIT, he left Atlanta with that passion in mind, and ultimately wanted to bring the best ideas back to improve the community. Although he went to school for Genetics Research, Hall discovered that he had more of a passion for people and serving humanities.
“When I came back to Atlanta, I avoided politics for a little while because my dad, on his deathbed, said, ‘Son, don’t go into politics.’ But I think he was really saying, ‘Don’t be a politician.’ Still, I took it literally, and I avoided it, basically from 1989 to 1999, being engaged in the political circles of the cities that I was in. I was always around it, but I wasn't directly engaged.”
Although he respected some of his father’s last words by staying out of politics for over a decade, Hall eventually ended up working on some campaigns through volunteering. This would lead to the Councilman running campaigns, and then ultimately running for office. He was elected to the School Board in 2002, and was elected to City Council in 2005.
“It’s been about 13 years serving in Atlanta, primarily on the east side of town but our decisions of course affect the entire city. I really do love making a difference and seeing positive change happen before my very eyes. Often times, people are in service or in leadership positions and they don’t get to see the fruit of their labor. It usually comes generations later, or decades later. Today, we’re getting to plant the seeds and watch the trees grow. Besides seeing the smiles on the faces of the young people and the mothers that we've been able to help on the Boulevard Corridor, the best part of this job has been to see our great projects come to life.”
Although Councilman Hall has accomplished so much since attending MIT, one of the things he’s most proud of is the youth group that he started when he was 18 in high school.
“One of the principles I like to live my life by is a Benjamin Mays quote that says, ‘It isn't a disgrace not to reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to have no stars to reach for.’”