The Audacity To Persevere

<p>I'm a high school dropout. I never made it past the ninth grade. The reason why is complicated and will be explored throughout the telling of my story of perseverance. When I was fifteen years old I dropped out of high school. At that time I had only earned one-half of gym credit.My life's story of is a journey of survival resilience and redemption. It's a testimony that your beginning doesn't have to set the tone for your entire life. At the writing of this book I am a newly retired sixty-five-year-old Salvation Army officer and an ordained elder. As an adult at age thirty I earned my GED. Many years later I earned my bachelor's degree two master's degrees and doctorate and became a board-certified chaplain.It wasn't easy and it didn't come without sacrifice. I had to take several prep classes to prepare for the GED test. Later to get into college I took several years of non-credited classes. During college I struggled because I wasn't a good speller. I couldn't take notes. Plus dealing with a lower self-image and racism while growing up didn't help. In addition having a young wife three children school full-time full-time work and running my own carpet and upholstery cleaning service added additional pressure.</p>