Education & Opportunity

My newspaper column for Dec. 28 is one that I've been meaning to write for quite a while now. It describes the day I met a remarkable 60-something woman who happened to work as a housekeeper. The way she approached her job--with a true passion and real purpose--taught me a little bit about the potential all of us have within.

For this "Greatest Housekeeper in the World," cleaning a dirty apartment was actually an incredible opportunity. Even while performing an activity that many view as mundane, there was an underlying potential for greatness.

This woman understood that her actions, even small ones, had the potential for a tremendous "ripple effect." To her, housekeeping wasn't just about picking up some trash and putting things in order: Rather, it was the opportunity to impact a person's life. That person could, in turn, impact other lives, too.

With all of the news reports about the passing of President Gerald Ford, I'm reminded of a brief conversation I had with him back at the 1996 Republican National Convention. At the time, I was a 19-year-old college student. I was attending both the Republican and Democratic conventions that year to write a newspaper column on the youth perspective on politics.

As I was walking through the convention complex one day, I saw President Ford and a small entourage walking the other direction. So I decided to walk alongside the president, introducing myself and striking up a quick conversation.

My Dec. 21 newspaper column is one of my personal favorites. It focuses on the inspirational story of Jessica Kirkpatrick, a student who was once told she didn't have the brain power to learn higher-level math. For anyone who has ever been told that they weren't smart enough, talented enough, or good enough by an authority figure (I've experience that first-hand), I think her story really resonates.

Some people wouldn't expect a student with a learning disability--someone who reads at the 18th percentile level--to be among the nation's most promising young scientists. But Jessica discovered how she learns best... adapting her learning strategies to play to her strengths. Now she's getting her Ph.D. from Cal Berkeley.

In my column for Nov. 16, I profile the story of Amanda Dunbar--a celebrated 23-year-old artist who only picked up a paint brush for the first time, accidentally, at age 13. What interested me in the story was that even in the case of this child prodigy, the role of her parents, Ken and Judi, was still critical in her development. For this reason, I consider Amanda's success more of a success story about the entire Dunbar family than just Amanda herself.

And yes, I truly believe that all of us have hidden talents awaiting discovery!

Also, for those of you who are interested in pursuing fine arts (or have kids interested in the fine arts), here are some tips from Ken and Judi Dunbar: