The Huffington Post – Rodney Walker
“Since I was five years old, I spent my childhood in and out of foster homes after my parents developed drug addictions on the south side of Chicago. My world changed when I met my mentor at 17 years old. He was the Dean of my school — Michael McGrone Sr. — and he taught me a new way to think, to be, to make sense of myself. Learning the entrepreneurial mindset — innovation, critical thinking, risk-taking — shows kids how to overcome adversity and deal with the complexities of life. And mentors play an outsized role in helping youth learn this mindset. For young people, and especially inner-city kids, the entrepreneurial mindset has very little to do with entrepreneurship. It’s about going beyond the guidebook and recognizing that there’s no cookie-cutter way to success. Everyone has adversity; you need to work your mind to figure out how to overcome it. My mentors constantly modeled these skills and reminded me of their significance.”(more)