AUDIENCE: YOUTH, TEENS & YOUNG ADULTS

LENGTH: 45 -60 MINUTES

As a child, Kevin Laue was a head taller than his classmates with shaggy red hair and one hand. A prime target for bullies, he constantly struggled to fit in.

Aside from his unusual appearance, he was shuttled back and forth between divorced parents until being blindsided by the early death of his father. His home situation impacted his academic progress and he couldn’t read until he was in the third grade.

It seemed that everything he wanted was beyond his reach.

In seventh grade, the 6’4” Kevin was cut from his middle school basketball team by a coach who told him he wasn’t cut out for a “two handed sport”. Facing that rejection and forced to examine his own worth, he made a pivot in his life and dedicated himself to being the best he could be.

He worked hard to become a high school basketball star and top student. Following high school, he graduated Fork Union Military Academy first in his class and earned a B.A. with honors from Manhattan College in three years. In addition to his own efforts, he credits these achievements to teachers and role-models who went outside of the standard curriculum to point him in the direction of success.

“The last thing I wanted was to be a product of my circumstance. I had a dream. Once I learned to change the way I saw myself, I was capable of creating believers out of everybody. I came to realize that nothing is out of reach.”

Kevin relates to the hardships faced by students and his presentation provides a boost of confidence and self-worth. He leaves his young audiences with an inspirational challenge and asks them to find a new perspective on the way they see themselves and each other.