On an episode of The Colbert Report this summer, Stephen Colbert interviewed author Wes Moore. Mr. Moore was talking about his recently published book The Other Wes Moore. In this book, he explores the lives of two young men with the same name who grew up in the same impoverished neighborhoods of Baltimore. One grew up to become a Rhodes Scholar; the other will spend the rest of his life in jail.

Both were told that they would grow up to be trouble and unsuccessful. One had a mother who tried to help her son defy expectations but eventually resigned to this fact. The other mother sacrificed everything to ensure her son could succeed, even going as far as sending him to military boarding school.

The stories told about these two men made me think about how the expectations placed on us by society, our peers, our families, ourselves can be both detrimental and helpful at the same time. These expectations and the choices we make, while they may seem insignificant, can drastically change our lives. It highlights importance to remain faithful to our dreams and surround ourselves by those who are supportive.