“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” — Jane Goodall In the summer of 1960, 26-year-old Jane Goodall arrived in what is now Tanzania to study the chimpanzees. At first, they would run whenever she came into sight. But … [Read more...]

In the 1800s, across the harsh, windswept plains of Texas, the carcasses of millions of buffalo lay scattered — victims of mass slaughter that had brought the native peoples’ sacred animal to the brink of extinction. Most white folks saw the buffalo (aka bison) as a relic of a dying past. But Mary Ann (“Molly”) Goodnight saw them differently. In 1876, among the carnage of … [Read more...]

 When Chinese businessman Jack Ma was a boy, he rode 17 miles on his bicycle each day for nine years to work as a tour guide for foreigners. The goal – to practice his English – eventually paid off. But this determined young man faced other challenges. Jack Ma (born Ma Yun), struggled academically, and it took him two years to gain acceptance to an ordinary Chinese high school, … [Read more...]