Perspectives on Perseverance
Many sources of the media are often saturated with reports and stories of the bleak side of youth: delinquency, drugs, violence, promiscuity, suicide, and indolence. These elements can never be ignored but they are far from a complete picture of youth. Everyday, young people persevere through tremendous difficulties including many forms of abuse and neglect, physical handicaps, learning impairments, severe poverty, and a broad range of extremely problematic family situations.

POY is pleased to share examples of youth who have persevered over tremendous odds. To read inspiring stories of perseverance, please click here. Information about how to submit stories of perseverance is provided at the bottom of this page.

By definition perseverance requires struggle and failure at some point.
A famous example is Abraham Lincoln:
*********He failed in business in 1831
*********He was defeated for legislature in 1832
*********He failed in business again in 1833
*********He suffered a nervous breakdown in 1836
*********He was defeated for speaker in 1838
*********He was defeated for elector in 1840
*********He lost his bid for Congress in 1843
*********He lost his run for Senate in 1855
*********He was defeated for Vice President in 1856
*********He lost another run for Senate in 1858
*********He was elected President in 1860
The rest, as they say, is history.

Lincoln was often quoted as saying that "people are about as happy as they make their minds up to be." That premise may sound specious to youth that face horrific situations that are often beyond their control, such as many of the problems outlined above. The greater message in Lincoln's statement, however, could be interpreted as the well known adage that although we often cannot choose what happens to us, we can usually choose how we respond to and handle what comes our way.

Such is the point of Perspectives on Perseverance. Youth that have faced difficult obstacles are often strong, resilient, and determined to persevere. And in the process they often demonstrate more fortitude, discipline, and determination than many adults armed with much more maturity, education, and life experience.

The focus of the submission should not be on the specific challenge or obstacle, but on the steps the youth took to overcome the difficulty; the process of dealing with the problem. In some cases, the process may be ongoing, or for various reasons, may never quite end. The point is to share the examples of the courage, strength, and belief in self demonstrated by the youth. Such stories may serve as inspiration to other youth facing tremendous difficulty.

—Joi Kohlhagen
Perspectives on Perseverance

Winter 2006 Edition:
Hattie Rice: No One Took Notice
By Al Desetta

Summer/Fall 2005 Edition: Perseverance through the challenges of Foster Care
Tabitha's Journey
By Al Desetta

Winter 2005 Edition: Perseverance over learning disabilities and other obstacles
By Matt Gingrich

 

Submissions should be from an adult (18+) that has worked in some official capacity with the young person (who is either still a youth or now an adult) written about. Submissions may be up to three pages in length and sent via a MS Word attachment or as part of a pasted e-mail. Submissions are edited only for spelling and grammar.

POY regrets that only submissions that are selected can be acknowledged. Notice of selected submissions are provided only via e-mail from an e-mail address; Server; ISP; and IP officially connected to POY. Submissions from "Unknown" or anonymous e-mail accounts or domains will not be considered. Before making a submission, POY readers are encouraged to carefully read Site policies listed under "Disclaimers and Legal Notices" on the POY homepage.

 

 

Please Submit Your Perspective On Perseverance via the Contact
POY Section, which is accessible though the POY Main Page,
or by clicking here.

 

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(From Left to Right): POY Editor Joi Kohlhagen and "The First Lady of the Press," Helen Thomas (November, 2004)
Editor's Note:

For 40 years, journalist Helen Thomas, often called the "Dean of the White House Press Corps" or the "First Lady of the Press," sat front and center at news conferences of eight U.S. Presidents—from the administrations of President Kennedy through President Clinton—very often selected by all of those Presidents and their Press Secretaries to ask the first question during White House news conferences. (The World Almanac once listed Helen Thomas as one of the 25 Most Influential Women In America.) She became the first woman White House Bureau Chief of a wire service in 1974, one of her many firsts for women journalists during the previous and following years. In the process, she courageously smashed through the glass ceilings and barriers that once limited the role of women
in journalism. The immeasurable work and accomplishments of Helen Thomas are among the most significant reasons that young girls, both today and in generations to come, can realistically aspire to become a journalist of considerable effect.

How did she do it? Strength, commitment to always working as hard as she could, and, of course: Perseverance.

The impact of her work reaches far beyond inspiration for young girls who want to become journalists. Her success in overcoming considerable obstacles can and should serve as a strong role model for both boys and girls who wish to become anything they dream of—by persevering through the major obstacles and barriers they may face—both during childhood and throughout life.

Now at age 84, (and, as
an aside, she is extremely humble and unpretentious in speaking about her lifetime of extraordinary achievements), Helen continues to credit her parents, and even a high school English teacher for inspiring and encouraging her. When one considers the context of that time period-girls then were largely encouraged to seek little education and to focus instead on getting married and having children-the roles that Helen's parents and teacher served in shaping her direction and future speaks volumes on the lifetime impact that relationships with family and interactions with youth professionals have on children.

—Joi Kohlhagen