It was the beginning of spring quarter, 2004; I came late into an Honors Seminar 100 in distress. Even though I am a good student with a very high GPA, I was planning to drop out of college. At that point, I was studying to become a forensic scientist. During an information session with the hiring committee of the Seattle Police Department my dreams were crushed. It probably would be impossible, they said, for me to get a job as a forensic scientist; I had a juvenile criminal record.

The Honors 100 teacher, Dr. Barbara Clinton, described her plans for us for the quarter, how we, as a group, were going to address issues such as financing our education, qualifying for better jobs, and even correcting mistakes from our past so that they would not be obstacles in our future. The atmosphere in this class was intense. I felt like I was hearing the most important information of my life, so I got out my notebook and frantically began scribbling every word that came out of her mouth.

After the class was over, I told Dr. Clinton my situation. She was eager to help; she offered suggestions, people to talk to and even took an interest in my case personally. Since then we have been working closely together to make sure that my time and efforts are not wasted.

Barbara assured me that there is still hope. She was the spark that lit me on fire; I became obsessed with awards and scholarships. I got heavily involved in my community and on my college campus. She made me believe in myself and now I am looking forward to my future. Because of Dr. Barbara Clinton, I will stay in college and finish what I started. Now, I have set my sights even higher than before. I will not pursue a job as a forensic scientist; instead I will become a lawyer. I will be the voice of the voiceless, and some day soon like Barbara, I will be the same beam of light for people who are halted from reaching their potential by predicaments similar to mine.