Let me drop a little knowledge on you

Do you remember the last time someone told you, "Man, I really wish I had heard this when I was 17?" If you're 17, you probably hear it a lot. If you are a 17 year old Martin Luther King Scholar at Agganis Arena on a summer Friday morning, you've probably heard it at least 6 times this morning alone. No joke.

She said it. Right before talking about how she started her own business that started as a little company making jewelry with a small personal investment of $3,000. Now, she is in the process of making a million-dollar deal.
He said it. That is, before he told the story of how he went from being homeless to starting a small shoeshine business that now operates in many states with thousands of employees.

This past Friday, the MLK scholars were learning about personal finance, budgeting, and planning ahead. The group talked about how small decisions can make a noticeable impact over the course of one's life- like the thousands of dollars of lost income just from using a cash-checking facility instead of opening a bank account. They talked about how to distinguish between a want a need (and how very often wants seem to become needs). Mostly, they talked about how planning wisely allows you to take advantage of opportunities, as well as weather any unforeseen storms that come your way.

I said it too. I wish I had heard this when I was 17. I wish I had friends that heard this when they were 17. Sometimes, we need to learn things through experience. However, often a little bit of knowledge can save a lot of hardship and missed chances. I believe that is the admirable goal of the MLK Scholars program, and while I may not have heard it when I was 17, I'm glad I'm hearing it at 26, and glad I get to share it with our own youth.