This is a story that charts the journey of growing up the son of a teenage mother, overcoming society's low expectations through the love of a close knit family, a village of teachers, coaches, mentors and extended family friends. This is a story of determination and perseverance through the transformative power of education and athletics. Based upon personal accounts, I hope my story and the stories of those captured in the book can be used as a teaching tool that puts a human face on successfully overcoming and navigating the world of single parenthood, teen pregnancy, drug and alcohol addiction and domestic violence. In the words of Wes Moore, "I don't want the readers to ever forget the high stakes of these stories- and all of our stories: that life and death, freedom and bondage, hang in the balance of every action that we take."