Benjamin S. Carson, Sr.

Ben Carson was born in Detroit to a mother who had dropped out of school in the third grade and was married at age 13. When Carson was eight, his parents divorced, and he went with his mother and brother to live with relatives in Boston. Two years later, they returned to Detroit, where his mother worked two and sometimes three jobs to keep their family off welfare.

Even though his mother had little formal education, she believed in it and knew it was the only way out of poverty. She often told Carson, "Learn to do your best, and God will do the rest." But Carson was a lazy student. After getting a report card in the fifth grade that showed he was doing poorly in every subject, Carson's mother instituted new rules. She required her sons to read two books a week and to write book reports about them, in addition to their regular homework. She banned television and would not let them play outside until their homework was done. By the next school year, Carson jumped from the bottom of his class to the top.

Inspired by the missionaries who visited his church, Carson dreamed of becoming a doctor from the time he was eight years old. In high school, he pursued his dream, encouraged by his biology teacher, who put him to work as a lab assistant. He also received encouragement from his band director, who taught him not to settle for anything but the best. Carson attended Yale University on a scholarship, where he graduated with a degree in psychology. He entered the University of Michigan Medical School, intent on becoming a psychiatrist. After classes started, however, he redirected his studies to neurosurgery. Following his graduation from medical school, Carson became the first black neurosurgery resident at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. At age 32, he was named director of pediatric surgery, the youngest director in the hospital's history.

In 1987, Carson led the team that separated the Binder twins, who were joined at the head. He also performed the first intra-uterine procedure to relieve pressure on the brain of a hydrocephalic fetal twin. Carson is one of the most noted neurosurgeons in the world and an author of three books: The Big Picture, Carson's perspective on life's priorities, race, society, success, and living a life of faith; Think Big, his personal formula for success; and Gifted Hands, the story of his medical accomplishments.

"I have always believed America is one of the greatest places you can possibly be because you do have the possibility of controlling your own destiny if you are willing to put in the appropriate amount of time and effort," Carson said after receiving his Horatio Alger Award in 1994. In his book, Think Big, Carson advises his readers to get in touch with their intellectual talent, lead an honest life, learn from the triumphs and mistakes of others, be nice to people, gather knowledge throughout life, read books, learn for the sake of knowledge and understanding, and have a relationship with God.