While certain tasks or assignments may come easier for gifted students, it does not mean that they do not struggle or have setbacks. In many cases, due to the very high expectations gifted students set for themselves, they can face even greater challenges than other students. It is also a misconception that gifted students have a clear path set out for their future from a young age. Thus, it is important for these advanced learners to be able to read accounts of the challenges (academically and personally), inspirations and ultimately, triumphs of some the worlds鈥� most influential people.

Here鈥檚 a list of inspiring books about individuals who have made contributions in the areas of science, technology, literature and music:

Bill Gates is the co-founder of the Microsoft Corporation and philanthropist.

Book: Who is Bill Gates? (2013)听 by Patricia Brennan Demulth (author) and Ted Hammond (illustrator) details how a persistent and gifted young boy from Seattle became one of the leading entrepreneurs of the personal computer revolution. For younger readers.

Joshua Bell is an acclaimed violinist who made his听听debut at age 17 with the听. He has since performed with many of the world’s major orchestras and conductors and has recorded more than 30 classical albums.

Book: The Dance of the Violin (2017) by听听(author) and 听(illustrator) tells the story of a young Joshua Bell who challenges himself to play a difficult听 piece of music at an international competition. During the performance he makes a mistake, but garners the courage to start again and put forth his best effort.听 For younger readers.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez was a Columbian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist affectionately known as Gabo or Gabito. He won the Nobel Prize winner for Literature in 1982 and is considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century.

Book: My Name is Gabito (2007) by Monica Brown (author) and Raul Colon (illustrator) beautifully chronicles Gabriel Garcia Marquez鈥檚 life from his childhood in Columbia to his later years as a celebrated author.听 For younger readers.

Sally Ride Ph.D was an American听physicist听and听astronaut. In 1983 she became the first U.S. woman to go into space.

Book: Sally Ride: America鈥檚 First Woman in Space (2014) by听听recounts the story of the woman who broke gender barriers at NASA and went on to found Sally Ride Science, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting STEM literacy for young people. For teens and above (LGBT issues discussed).

Jane Goodall is a primatologist and听anthropologist. Considered to be the world’s foremost expert on听chimpanzees, she is best known for her over 55-year study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees in Tanzania.

Book: Jane Goodall: The Woman Who Redefined Man (2008) by Dale Peterson details the triumphs and setbacks of Goodall鈥檚 life, including the private quest that led to her now-famous activism. For teens and above.

Carl Sagan Ph.D was an astronomer, writer, and creator of the television series, Cosmos that helped popularize science.

Book: Carl Sagan: A Life in the Cosmos (1999) by William Poundstone recounts the life of a gifted young man whose interest in the stars and life on other planets propelled him to become science’s first authentic media superstar, making science accessible to the general public. For teens and above.

You can find more inspiring role models in the book, , Maurice E. Fisher Ph.D & Eugenia M. Fisher, Ed.D, Editors and Michael E. Walters, Ed.D & Harry T. Roman, M.S., Senior Writers.

Tell us who inspires you by sending your own book recommendations!

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Each year the Institute for Educational Advancement (优蜜视频) awards the (CDB) to approximately 30 highly-gifted students. The scholarship provides funding to attend a high school best suited to meet their unique intellectual and personal needs as well as individual support, educational advocacy, and access to a network of like-minded peers. The program, which began in 2002 and is generously funded by The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, is the only merit-based, need-blind scholarship of its kind in the U.S. To date, 优蜜视频 has awarded 235 scholarships and our alumni are already making their mark on the world.

Several alumni are currently volunteering their time and talents in support of 优蜜视频:

Byron Lichtenstein

As member of the CDB Class of 2002, Byron was one of the program鈥檚 very first scholars. He attended the Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco and then Harvard College. Byron is also an alumni of and .

Byron is presently a Vice President at Insight Venture Partners, a venture capital and growth equity firm based in New York. He focuses his time at Insight on new software investments as well as on strategy and operations within their portfolio of companies. Prior to this position, he worked at Bain & Company as a management consultant and also at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of their Global Health Discovery team.

Coming full circle, in January 2017 Byron became a member of the , where he has already made significant contributions as a member of the Audit Committee. Byron says, 鈥淚 owe a lot to the 优蜜视频 community as they have been there at every major step in my life and I am looking forward to the opportunity to give back. 鈥�

Jianna Lieberman

As a 2004 CDB scholar, Jianna attended Riverdale Country School in Bronx, New York for high school, where she thrived in the liberal arts program. She went on to attend the Maryland Institute College of Art, earning a BFA in Graphic Design.听 Of the CDB program, Jianna says, “Riverdale taught me so much in the way of humanities that I could take the time to cultivate the creative side of my brain, and that wouldn鈥檛 have been the case without the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship.鈥�

Jianna currently works in advertising where she focuses on web and app design, social media content design and calendaring, and overall digital marketing strategies.听She is also in the process of applying to graduate school where she will pursue an MBA. In wanting to give back to 优蜜视频, she served on the 2017 CDB West Coast Selection Committee and is lending her expertise to further 优蜜视频鈥檚 marketing efforts.

Paul Cresanta

2008 CDB scholar Paul Cresanta is from Colorado, but found that The Thatcher School in Ojai, CA was the best match for his high school experience. After Thatcher, he enrolled in Pomona College where he double majored in Russian and European Studies and Linguistics. In May he earned his B.A. from Pomona and is currently spending the summer interning with 优蜜视频 before he begins his career as a language analyst at the Department of Defense.

At 优蜜视频, Paul is assisting in the 2017 CDB finalists鈥� interviews. Since he has been on the other end of the process, he helps put the students at ease and is able to answer questions from the point of view of a program scholar. He is also lending support to the Yunasa program as a coordinator and counselor. Paul says the CDB scholarship was 鈥淟ife Changing- with a capital L,鈥� and that is why he wanted to do his part to give back to 优蜜视频. 鈥淚, like so many of my fellow alumni, want to use what I have been given to make a positive impact.鈥�

优蜜视频 is so thankful for Byron, Jianna, and Paul as well as all of our alumni who are making contributions to their communities and the world!

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The end of one year and the beginning of a new one always bring about the opportunity to reflect, as well as make resolutions for the future. At the end of 2016, 优蜜视频 staff took some time to look back our work, our programs, and some of the most memorable moments of the year:

鈥淥ne of the highlights of the year for me was how quickly and enthusiastically the 30 new 2016 CDB Scholars exchanged e-mails with each other, introducing themselves to their classmates with gusto鈥攁nd including ME as part of the thread.听 It didn鈥檛 seem to matter whether a Scholar was an introvert or extrovert; they all dove in and freely talked about their passions in their own unique voices.听 It has been a delight to get to know this class and help them navigate their way through each individual high school application process.鈥�

-Bonnie Raskin, Program Manager, Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship

鈥淒uring the summer, I had the chance to take the lunch shift at Academy, a free hour for kids who take classes all day to eat and play. It was a great opportunity to talk to some bright young minds about their interests, see them interact and develop friendships, and even play some games with them. Since my work at 优蜜视频 is more behind-the-scenes, I don鈥檛 get as many chances to interact with kids in our programs, so that lunch hour was a nice treat in the middle of a hectic season.鈥�

-Nicole LaChance, Marketing and Communications Coordinator

鈥淥ne of my favorite moments at camp (Yunasa Michigan) this year was participating in a music improvisation workshop led by counselor Chris Jones. Everyone did an amazing job improvising rhymes and singing along. Yunasa is such supportive and inviting community that even the shyest participants loosened up and got into the game.

–Morgan Carrion, Assistant to the President

鈥淚 was delighted to receive this note from an EXPLORE parent during the program鈥�.鈥�

After going through a year of rigorous academic preparation for various AP and other college level tests, it can be taxing on their curiosity and zeal to learn as college admission requirements weigh heavily on their mind. It is a welcome change to have real life exploration and training which rekindled his intellect and he is thoroughly enjoying the experience.

-Ni帽a Abonal, Program Coordinator, EXPLORE

鈥淥ne of my favorite times of year is always the staff retreat.听 This is the time the team really connects on a deeper level, where lifelong bonds are formed and the direction of 优蜜视频 is solidified for the coming year.听 I sort of think of it as the staff鈥檚 own Yunasa.听 While each year there is dancing and singing at the end of the retreat, similar to 鈥淭he Dance鈥� at Yunasa/West, this year I felt that the team got to the heart of something intrinsic in our experience of working at 优蜜视频; and that is, the whole reason we do what we do.听 We came together and defined the underlying truth behind WHY we are each here at 优蜜视频, and I feel we are a stronger team because of it.听 I am excited to see this clarity influence all of our actions, efforts and communications with the children we serve and their families, and with each other.听 2017 will be an exciting year for all of us!鈥�

-Zadra Rose Ibanez, Director of Operations

These are just a few of the wonderful moments we shared with 优蜜视频 participants, parents, and colleagues in 2016. As we begin 2017, we resolve to continue to work to provide the highest level of services for gifted youth while strengthening the bonds of the 优蜜视频 community.

Please share your memorable 优蜜视频 moments from 2016 or tell us your New Year鈥檚 resolutions for 2017!

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It鈥檚 common knowledge that kids can benefit from participation in sports: weekly exercise, the opportunity to make new friends, development of leadership skills, and much more.听 However, what may not be so well-known is that participating in sports can have an even greater benefit for gifted students.

From violin and painting to robotics and debate, gifted children have many interests and often very little free time, but here is why you should consider signing them up for a sport as well:

Having a Safe Place to Fail

Most gifted kids are used to excelling and don鈥檛 know how to handle not being at the top of the pack. Chances are gifted children will not be the best soccer players on the team, but that is ok. Missing a goal is not going to affect their chances of getting into the school of their dreams. What it will do, however, is , and that is just fine.

Opportunities to Broaden Friendships

Playing on a sports team or taking classes such as tennis or fencing allows gifted children to connect with kids outside their regular peer group. They will meet students with varying interests and intellect and learn to communicate better with them. Surprisingly, they may find they have more in common with their new teammates or classmates than they would have thought.

Occasions to Let off Steam and Play

Gifted students can often feel overwhelmed with responsibilities and the pressure to be perfect. Participating in a sport allows them an opportunity to get outside, exercise, clear their heads, and focus on something completely different. In fact, at Yunasa and Yunasa West, 优蜜视频鈥檚 summer camps, one of the most popular activities is GaGa Ball, a variation of dodgeball. And, in 优蜜视频鈥檚 post-camp surveys, the kids always mention that they just love to get outside and play.

Improving Academics

Studies have shown that the physical activity of a sport helps to engage the brain in forward thinking. Many gifted students find that participating in a sport calms their active minds and .

Learning to Work as Part of a Team

Many gifted students tend to prefer working independently. By participating in a team sport, gifted students must learn to work with their teammates in order to achieve success. This is such an important skill since teamwork is required for just about all aspects of life鈥� school, business, and personal relationships.

In sum, gifted kids can benefit greatly from participating in sports. And, while it can be quite a time commitment for the whole family (hours of after-school practice and weekend games), gifted children should try a sport鈥� at least once. It will give them a better understanding of themselves as well as other children, provide a sense of balance in their lives, and make them more well-rounded individuals.

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