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A feel good story.

CO. Hoosier

Hall of Famer
Aug 29, 2001
45,309
21,750
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Having recently cleaned out my law office, I’ve been going through some old papers ive kept for various reasons. I ran across a newspaper clipping about Sue (not her real name)

I used to serve on a board that gave a small cash award to an outstanding graduating high school senior at a very small rural Colorado school. Sue received the award in 2007. Sue grew up with her mom who was a nomad and who drifted around the western U.S. At the age of 14, Sue had never been to school and couldn’t read or write. She couldn’t do math. After some court proceedings Sue wound up with her dad in the Colorado community. He was a ranch hand, didn’t have much education but he stayed in one place. Sue taught herself to read with Hooked on Phonics at 14 and enrolled in school not knowing math, science, grammar, history or any other subject. She never played sports.

She wanted to enlist in the navy. She excelled in school. She rose to the top of her class, was all conference in 3 sports and as I said, received our modest award. Sue set her sights higher than navy enlistment. She applied for and was accepted to the United States Naval Academy. This is where I lost track of her.

Seeing the clipping of her story prompted me to do a brief internet search. Sue graduated from the Academy, she was second team all conference in track and field, and is now a navy helicopter pilot assigned to a Sea Combat Squadron. She was deployed twice to the Middle East and most recently to an unknown location.

Way to go Sue,
 
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