In the past few years, I've embarked on two major missions - becoming a parent and starting PeopleJam. Between the two, I haven't been able to be as active as I used to be in other areas, one of the more important being volunteer work.

However, there's one organization I've been a part of basically since I was born that has provided incredible inspiration in my life - the Jackie Robinson Foundation (you may have noticed that the quote under my picture on my profile page is a Jackie Robinson quote). In short, JRF provides college scholarships to minority and disadvantaged youth with demonstrated financial need and proven academic excellence.

I've done a lot with the Foundation over the years, but without question, the most rewarding commitment has been working with a scholarship selection committee to interview and choose the students who will be awarded scholarships in the Los Angeles area and Western region. We conduct these interviews over the course of two days (Saturdays) every year, after narrowing down the field of candidates. When we get to the final round, we meet 10-12 seventeen and eighteen year-old kids who literally would blow your mind.

I'm writing this blog today because I just went through one of these amazing interview days yesterday, and the glow that comes from these remarkable young people is still shining. I could share so many stories about the kids I've met, but one from yesterday is about as inspiring as any over the past 15 years, and it will stick with me forever.

We met (and ultimately selected) a young woman who was born as a result of her mother being raped. She never knew her father. Her mother put her into foster care shortly after she was born. From then until the time she turned 18, she was in TWENTY-THREE foster homes. She was regularly verbally and physically abused (in the LA area, so many foster care parents agree to take children into their home solely for the money; more often than not, they're drug abusers, alcoholics, etc.). She basically never had a consistent parental figure in her life.

BUT SOMEHOW, this spectacular young woman graduated high school in the top 10 of her class, was class President, had started several extra curricular groups and organizations, was an inspiration to her peers and plans to dedicate her life to being a doctor in low-income communities.

When we asked her why she was able to rise above the tragic experiences of her life when so many other kids fall victim to similar lives of hardship, she said she just saw what was happening to the kids around her and decided she would never let that happen to her. Sounds obvious, right? No way. Can you imagine never having anyone tell you they're proud of you? Never having someone help you make a tough decision? Never having someone who loves you unconditionally there to give you a hug when you need one? Never having a consistent force in your life you could rely upon? Would YOU have pulled through like this young lady? I don't know that i could have...

Just imagining the determination and strength it took for this young woman to make it this far should be enough inspiration for those of us who have been more fortunate to last a lifetime.