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Beating The Odds

 By Stephen C. Schultz


I recently had the opportunity to attend a conference in Cincinnati, Ohio. Matt Hendry from Discovery Academy had a former student who is now attending The University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio.  This student is from Houston, but Matt wanted to make the trip to Dayton to see this young man and provide continued encouragement and support; he asked if I would like to go with him. I said, “Sure…absolutely!” We then hit the road headed North out of Cincinnati.


While in Dayton, we also had an opportunity to visit The DaytonEarly College Academy  which is a partnership among Dayton Public Schools, the University of Dayton, Sinclair Community College, and Wright State University.


What a great experience it was to see these disadvantaged youth all come together with a sparkle in their eye and an eagerness to learn. These kids have been forced, through circumstances they don’t control, to simply survive. What resilience…what courage…what fortitude they exhibit every day. They were bright, articulate and confident in the conversations we had with them. I felt honored to be there and visit.

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