This idea has been kicking around in my head for a few weeks. It all started one day when I walked outside of my apartment and two of the black neighborhood kids were sitting on the stairs. Now I barely know these guys, just that they hang around a lot. And I had this psychic premonition right there, and I looked at them and said, "I have a feeling one of you is going to be a great engineer someday. Which one of you is great at math?" They looked real surprised and started talking to each other about it. I could tell by the looks on their faces that they'd never thought of such a thing.

So I did my walk, and came back about twenty minutes later. They were still sitting there and one of them whispered, "You know I think I should really look into that engineer thing." So I looked up and asked if he was talking to me and he got all shy again and clammed up.

So fast forward a few weeks, and I'm watching the political ads, and in one they said, "And there is no guarantee that any of this money will go to CA schools, and I thought, "Well, CA students are screwed again, aren't they." And that gave me the idea for this article.

You see, I'm not an expert, but I've lived in CA since 1969 in a dozen different cities. Now the rich cities, they have the best schools. It seems like everyone wants to help most the kids that don't need the most help.

And then I think back to my education. I was one of those children whose parents sent me dutifully off to public school every day, and that was as involved as they wanted to be. Neither one came to my high school graduation. I was basically told to get A's or else. And as long as I did that they felt they did enough for me. I literally missed the gifted program by four points, and any other parent would have insisted on getting me retested. I don't think my parents had any response at all.

I'm bringing this up to point out that many students are not going to be supported in their school efforts. College won't even be a blip on their horizon.

The only reason I got so far was because a few teachers, a few counselors, and a few librarians saw my potential and took me under their wing, going far beyond their job descriptions.

I managed to go to Jr. college for four years. I tried to transfer to a four year college more than once and my father blocked me in every way he could. He even refused to admit on paper what his income was so I could get financial aid.

Long story short, this letter is to all California students that feel like their state, their schools and maybe even their parents have abandoned them. Don't give up hope. You have to be your own motivational expert. You have to be the one who seeks out your high school and college counselor. You have to be the one that finds out when and where those SAT's and other college entrance tests are. Counselors are free so make as many appointments as you need.

If you have friends that are better in math or science or whatever is your weak subject, see if they will tutor you. Maybe you could tutor them in a subject you are strong in.

Don't dumb yourself down for anyone. Don't drop out of school. Percentages are high that drop outs often end up in jail, or worse, especially if you are a minority. The greatest act of rebellion is to stay in school and prove that all those people that didn't believe in you were wrong.

Make an appointment with your library for an hour a day to read everything you can get your hands on. Most libraries have internet access. If your school doesn't have enough computers (or any computers) get down to your library and find out how to get computer time. You can also read trade magazines at libraries and all the newspapers you have time to browse.

And there is so much more than book learning. Apprentice yourself anywhere you can. Work for a blacksmith, a jeweler, a car mechanic, a pilot, anyone that will help you get the job experience that will get you to your goals.

Do volunteer work. That will look great on a resume' when you don't have any solid job experience yet. Almost every festival needs volunteers. And many groups like Boy Scouts, Toastmasters, Rotary Club and so on have booths that need helpers at local events. So do churches. See if your church has a youth group.

Partly because the economy is tight and most families need two incomes, parents just can't be everything a student needs. So you may need to find other mentors. Or your parents may not be great in math and you want to be a scientist. My mother was a loving person, but after about fifth grade math it all looked like gibberish to her. The students in grades above you are often the best tutors, as they've just had what you are now taking. Ask you teacher to help you find a tutor.

Not every teacher is going to be compatible with you. Don't let that throw you. Transfer if you can, and if not, find other resources to get you through. Hopefully your next teacher will be a better match.

Guard your textbooks like they are gold. If your school lockers get broken into, don't leave your books there. I got in the habit of never leaving anything in a school locker unless I didn't want to see it the next day.

If your school has no textbooks, see if you can find a used one at the local used bookstore. The best ones are usually near colleges where they turn over textbooks at the end of every quarter. Ask you teacher for the name and ISBN number of the textbook that would be best and take it upon yourself to find it. Get the most current edition you can find.

Most of all hang in there. Keep chipping away at your goals. When you hit a roadblock, do what is called a 'work around'. Find another path to where you want to get to. In short, be a pitbull when it comes to getting what you need to reach your educational goals. Latch on and don't let go. Just play fair so it doesn't bite you on the way back down the ladder.

Hold yourself accountable to yourself. No cheating on tests, No scamming the system. Do it fair and square so you can be proud when they hand you your diploma.

Take 10 minutes to watch this:

http://www2.oprah.com/videochannel/videochannel_player.jhtml?video=1178&category=31