Michigan teen inspires others - by Monica

I found myself being a downer this week. “There’s no good news,” I would tell my mom. I saw, time and time again, people spouting off words to hurt others for no reason at all. And then my mom handed me the newspaper to see a story on the front page. “There is still good things happening every day,” she told me as she handed me the article to read.

This article showed me that, while some people focus on their past and never move forward, using it as an excuse to tear down others as well, other people use their past to build people up and become even stronger.

Read the two Oakland Press articles by Karen Workman:
Benjamin Schiff's story
The public's response

Nineteen-year-old Benjamin Schiff had a hard life, but instead of wallowing, he took a stand. He never met his biological father, was abused by his stepdad, had a mother who ran off when he was 14, and a brother who failed him as well. But he wasn’t a prisoner of his circumstances. His grades in high school earned him first place for last year’s Excellence in Education, a scholarship and recognition program hosted by The Oakland Press and Oakland Schools. He was ranked 14th in his class. On top of that, Schiff is on his way to West Point Military Academy, a very competitive military college. Each year, over half a million kids inquire about the school, and this year, only 1,300 students were accepted. Schiff was one of them.

“A lot of people go there and go into a negative attitude. From my past experiences, I knew I couldn’t go into a negative attitude and I think that’s what helped me out,” Schiff said. “It is what you make of it.”

One woman was so inspired about Schiff’s story that she sent $100 to him.

“It’s just amazing how a young man can pick himself up out of nothing, out of the worst situation and do so much,” 78-year-old Jan Feeny told the Oakland Press.

Schiff teaches people that, with hard work, nothing is impossible. Don’t be the kind of person that takes hard events you’ve been dealt and let it harden your heart and make you give up. Instead, be the kind of person who can look those hard times in the face and be able to say, “You didn’t hold me back! Look where I am today.”