Susan Oliver is a communications consultant in Waterford, Va. She grew up on Long Island, N.Y., where a singing solo and a teacher's encouragement helped her feel powerful for the first time.

James Abbatiello, a science teacher at Hammond Middle School in Virginia, learned he would be a good father when he saved someone else's son.

Pablo Simmonds, a realtor and real estate investor from Hyattsville, Md., learned to stop and question before jumping -- literally -- into a new situation.

While some consider poker to be based on luck, a new study breaks down the results from the 2010 World Series of Poker to show that highly skilled players had a clear advantage.

Kathryn Horn Coneway is director of Art at the Center, an art studio for children and families she co-founded in Alexandria, Va. Witnessing a struggling student gain artistic independence, Coneway remembered to let the work to take over.