School offered no escape. Steve struggled badly as a student and eventually flunked out. On top of academic problems, he dealt with a severe stutter that made speaking in front of others terrifying. Classrooms became places of embarrassment instead of growth. Teachers doubted him. Peers underestimated him. But deep inside, there was something stubborn that refused to disappear—a belief that his life would not always look like this, even if he couldn’t yet explain how or why.
