FROM UNDERACHIEVER TO SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEUR: BREAKING THE MOLD. My parents thought I would never be able to socialize or lead a normal life. They believed I was severely retarded, and their doubts were compounded when my father left because my mother refused to institutionalize me. People were certain I would never learn to read or graduate from high school. Even within my family, I was often labeled as the slow one, a perpetual underachiever… See more
My parents thought I would never be able to socialize or lead a normal life. They believed I was severely retarded, and their doubts were compounded when my father left because my mother refused to institutionalize me. People were certain I would never learn to read or graduate from high school. Even within my family, I was often labeled as the slow one, a perpetual underachiever.
Despite these harsh judgments, my life took a dramatic turn. I entered college at 16, where I wrote a thesis that was published by my university. I was the only non-PhD graduate student who taught an undergraduate class in one of the top programs in my field. My career as a lawyer spanned ten years, during which I wrote articles and several chapters for a treatise on securities law, as well as speeches on various legal topics. I even received an invitation to be a Google blogger and earned an ambassador’s recommendation for graduate school and my first job at the SEC. With eight patents pending, including two innovative low-calorie sweeteners, I’m now running my second and third successful companies.
Despite my achievements, the underlying problem still exists, and most people remain unaware of my struggles. Parents, stop judging your children based on superficial expectations. You never truly know the potential hidden beneath the surface.
