Making the Grade provides life lessons for serious students that want to graduate with honors. It's a good feeling to be distinguished with cords, stoles and lapel pins. There is an overwhelming feeling of pride that hits you just before you reach the stage. And once you hit that stage, and the announcer calls your name, you hear the roar of the crowd and the screams of your family and friends, and it simply feels GREAT You start to think about all the long days and late nights, all the television shows and telephone calls you had to miss to stay focused, all the sacrifices you had to make in order to forge ahead, and then your smile begins to grow wider and wider without effort. Your step gets more pep and your stature grows taller. So take some time to journey with me through my life as a student, from childhood to adulthood. I pray that my experiences will provide you with insight, laughter, effective methods for success and alternatives to my mistakes.