What Kids Need to Succeed

English: (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Growing up black, female, fatherless and in dire poverty [in the Old South], young Sherian Cadoria was told that she was less than others.  But her mother, her older siblings and the nuns who facilitated her education made her believe she was strong, smart, capable and that she absolutely owed the world the gift of her many talents.  Their teachings, encouragement and challenges enabled the young girl to grow into someone who was able to thrive at the highest level.

Eventually Sherian Grace Cadoria became the first female African American general in the history of the U.S. Army.  When she retired after 29 years of service she left behind a legacy full of firsts:

• the first woman to command an all-male battalion in Viet Nam
• the first to lead a criminal investigation brigade
• the first black woman director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
• the first woman admitted to the Command and General Staff College and the US Army War College

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from What Kids Need to Succeed: Four Foundations of Adult Achievement by Andrea Patten & Harry S. Patten, now available in hardcover and in e-book format.