Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin

Sometimes a mission statement can be a concise list of values defined in your own words—the approach Franklin used to guide his life toward greatness. Through study and reading, Franklin cultivated a list of 13 virtues he considered “necessary or desirable.”...
Amelia Earhart

Amelia Earhart

Earhart became captivated with flying while attending an aviation exhibition and enrolled in grueling training soon after. She became the 16th American woman to receive a pilot’s license and proceeded to break altitude, speed, and distance records. Earhart battled...
Helen Keller

Helen Keller

Helen Keller lost her sight and hearing at 19 months old, as the result of an unknown illness. To communicate with her family, she devised 60 signs in early childhood, but the arrival of teacher Anne Sullivan changed her life. She wrote, “My teacher placed my hand,...
Booker T. Washington

Booker T. Washington

Booker T. Washington was born a slave on a plantation in Franklin County, Virginia, in 1856. His life started amidst the most miserable, desolate, and discouraging surroundings. From an early age, Washington recognized the importance of education, comparing admittance...