Now he wants to help more than just himself

David Aden, 24, is studying social work at Lee College.

“I used to be more selfish. I joined the military, and when I got out for the first couple of years I was pretty much still the same. But after I started spending time with my sister’s kids, I realized I should probably consider making a change.

“Originally, I was planning to become an aeronautics engineer. I wanted to build planes, spaceships and whatnot, basically so I could get something out there with my name on it. Then I started thinking, do I really want to do something for myself so that I can consider myself great, or would I rather help other people realize they have the abilities to achieve certain things and support them on their way to doing it?

“One person standing alone at the top of a mountain, it’s pretty lonely. But if you can get a whole bunch of people up there, in the end, that’s what matters.”

— David Aden