Mario Ordaz is a math teacher at Sequoia Middle School; an inner city school serving low income and single parent households in Fresno California. In this episode, we touch on his struggles throughout his childhood; from using candles for lights when the electricity was out to bouncing from school to school and never having a stable home. Through all of the struggles, he still managed to be the first in his family to get his high school diploma, go on to college and obtain his teaching degree. He explains how seeing the struggles his older siblings faced by not having their high school diploma and working very trying jobs, was the driving force to finish his schooling and get a good stable career. Mario also breaks down how he is able to help kids today, who are going through many of the same struggles he faced when he was their age. He touches on the impact of family support and the huge impact it has on today's kids.