Featured Heroine: Alicia Crank,
Mountain View City Commissioner for Human Relations

Starting out behind with a single mother on drugs, Alicia fought her way to an education and freedom. Every step of the way, people told her she couldn’t and wouldn’t—wouldn’t graduate from high school, wouldn’t avoid teen pregnancy, wouldn’t go to college. She proved them all wrong.

Family Background: "We’re African Americans from Detroit. I grew up in a single-parent home, where there were drugs and other problems."

Pre College Education: Winterhalter Middle School in Detroit, then another middle school in Atlanta for 2 years. Northwestern High School, a broadcast training magnet school, in Detroit.

College Education: Central Michigan University for 2 years. Foothill College for 2 years. Plans to graduate from San Jose State December 2009.

"Aha" Moment: "I went to a broadcasting conference at Central Michigan U as a junior in high school. There was something about being on a college campus and being regarded as a peer by college students. I knew then that I could be successful…and didn’t feel like an outsider ."

Biggest challenge in getting to college: "There was a strange dynamic. I was expected to do well in school, but when I did, I was lambasted by my family. Success to them equaled selling out. I had to choose something different."

Biggest challenge in finishing college: "I knew I had to move. I took Amtrack with 2 trunks and $200 and went to California. I had to start over, in a way, to move forward. I switched to business classes and loved doing those classes online at Foothill."

Favorite Mentor: "Laverne Thomas, a librarian I worked for in high school. She helped me out a lot. She listened and provided herself as a refuge."

Favorite Teacher: Mr.Kuitula, my radio and TV teacher. He really pushed me, really encouraged me. He got me to go to the broadcasting conference, and when the time came helped me get a partial scholarship to college."

Favorite Author: Malcolm Gladwell’s "Blink": it talks about how to think critically yet at the same time to value your instincts. I want to read "The Tipping Point" next."