I've loved school.
Until the time I took my first test.
I loved my teachers and I loved my friends.
But I hated reading. It made my head hurt.
Specialists started pointing me out of my classroom
and labeled me "reading and writing disabled."
And for years I was totally freaked out and anxious about school.
And in middle school it got worse.
Until I started home school.
That's when I realized I just needed an alternative way to learn.
So I studied ancient civilizations in Egypt,
biology on safaris in Kenya,
and real life math at grocery stores, currency exchanges on Craigslist.
After homeschooling, my grade point average came up,
my self esteem came back and I felt empowered.
And once I became responsible for my own time management,
and I kinda got used to that,
I couldn't imagine a future on somebody else's schedule.
So last year I created my own business.
The idea came to me in Liverpool
when I was watching amphibious World War II vehicles called ducks
giving land and water tours.
Back home at Homer Alaska.
I came up with... I researched and wrote a similar tour
even though there was no way I could afford a duck.
Two years later though, I came up with a more affordable tour.
Entered a business idea contest, won some cash,
and became the owner of a replica of a San Francisco trolley.
I've learned about regulations, marketing and ordinances,
and what it takes to get old moving parts moving again.
The morning before my first tour,
I was underneath the trolley fixing a fuel leak,
gas dripping down my elbows.
And I remember thinking to myself
"I could be sleeping in right now."
Well, aside from worrying about an occasional fuel leak
or work interfering with my fishing schedule,
I'm happy to know how empowering it is to start with a dream
and end with something tangible.
I have learned that I can't let people label me.
And my own limits are the limits that I set for myself.
Alternative thinking has made it that I can reach my dream.
And I hope that some day by alternative thinking
I can be a part of a greater dream to create positive solutions
for the rest of the world
(Applause)