The kid is a truly amazing kid. So many obstacles and she still succeeded. This is a person for EVERYONE regardless of race to admire. Good pick Obama.
Obama singles out South Side student :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Metro & Tri-State
President Obamas speech had special meaning for Shantell Steve, a Julian High School senior he cited as an example of how kids can write your own destiny.
Never in a million years would I have thought President Barack Obama would have me in his speech, Shantell Steve said after hearing the speech with classmates on her first day back at the South Side school.
In his address to the nations schoolkids, the president challenged students to work hard even if they dont like a particular class or have to overcome tough times in life. He pointed to Steve, who grew up in a series of foster homes.
And then theres Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois, Obama told his national TV audience. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods in the city, she managed to get a job at a local health-care center, start a program to keep young people out of gangs, and shes on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.