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.