I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth. Before going to college in 1971, my brother in law told me that you... more

I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth. Before going to college in 1971, my brother in law told me that you do not have to take 4 years to graduate. He explained that you were only required to complete 120+ credit hours for a bachelors degree. At that time, you paid a flat rate per semester and you were not charged by the credit hour. I had to pay for college on my own. I only had $1,000 saved from high school babysitting - 50 cents per hour. I decided I could not afford to take 4 years to graduate from college. I successfully completed a 4 year university in 2-1/2 years. I had already finished high school 1 semester early, since I completed the needed credits. At age 19, I was ready to begin my professional career.

After graduating from college and starting a career as an auditor, I heard a story from my brother that had a significant and emotional effect on my life. My brother had a friend, who came from a different socio-economic background, received a $10,000 wedding gift