For Benjamin Carson, the challenges of growing up in a poverty-stricken single-parent home, poor grades and low self-esteem made achieving his dream of becoming a doctor seemingly impossible.  He credits his mother, with only a third-grade education, for challenging her children to strive for excellence. Today, Dr. Carson is a professor of neurosurgery, oncology, plastic surgery, and pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He has directed pediatric neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center for over a quarter of a century. In 2004, he was appointed to the President’s Council on Bioethics by George W. Bush. Dr. Carson holds more than 60 honorary doctorate degrees, and has received hundreds of awards and citations. He is the author of several books that provide insight and inspiration on leading a successful life and is a highly regarded motivational speaker.