2013 GSK Opportunity Scholars Speak from the Heart

Recently, I had the privilege of honoring four students in North Carolina who demonstrated a strong commitment to education while overcoming significant adversities. Together with five other recipients from Philadelphia, these nine winners make up the 2013 GSK Opportunity Scholars.

Every year, GSK provides these scholarships, which are administered through The Philadelphia Foundation and Triangle Community Foundation, to eligible students to further their post-high school education. We do this because every person deserves an education and sometimes the most vulnerable in society need a helping hand. And it is those with the strongest spirits and a great will to succeed--as these scholars have shown--who often go on to do great things in life.

We asked the winners to tell their stories in their own words in a series of videos. To start, here is Glen Casey from Philadelphia. I hope these stories move and inspire you.