Committed to Excellence

Self-motivation is carrying Ohio college student from computer education to the FBI

- CALVIN HARPER

One of my favorite poems is “It Couldn’t Be Done,” by Edgar A. Guest. First published in 1917, the theme of the poem is to not fear to attempt something difficult and to not listen to naysayers telling you that something is impossible.

The poem highlights the importance of hard work and a positive attitude when faced with a difficult task. The second stanza lays this point out beautifully:

Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that; At least no one ever has done it;” But he took off his coat and he took off his hat And the first thing we knew he’d begun it. With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin, Without any doubting or quiddit, He started to sing as he tackled the thing That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

The message has stuck with me since I memorized the poem as a boy and it comes crashing back whenever I happen to meet someone whose attitude and actions personify its theme. Someone, for example, like 23-year old Connor House of Sagamore, Ohio.

Connor is a young man who knows all about squaring up to life and meeting challenges with positivity, mindfulness, and hard work. Born with Klinefelter Syndrome, a rare genetic condition, Connor has learned to work longer and harder than others to achieve success in school and in information technology (IT).