JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Time now for "My Unsung Hero," our series from the team at the Hidden Brain podcast. "My Unsung Hero" tells the stories of people whose kindness left a lasting impression on someone else. Today's story comes from Jon Hegwood. When Hegwood was 16, he found out he was going to be a father. By the following year, in 2008, he was working two jobs and attending school while also caring for his baby. It was too much. He had enough credits to apply for a GED, so he decided to pursue that path and drop out of school. That spring, Hegwood made an appointment with his principal, Billy Barnett, to share his decision.
JON HEGWOOD: So I show up in his office, which is just, like, a little closet, effectively. And Mr. Barnett called me in - and it's just a single desk with a chair - sits me down. And I told him that I was ready to drop out of high school because I had two jobs and a baby at home. And, you know, I was living in the real world, and I needed to provide for my family, and I didn't have time for high school anymore. And he's imploring me to continue with high school and that he wasn't going to let me drop out. And I told him that it was my choice, and he looked me in the eyes and was like, it may seem that way, and I understand that you have a lot going on, but it's very important that you finish high school and that you get this diploma because it's going to shape the rest of your life.
So he bargained with me to stay into school, and he was able to cut some of my classes and kind of make it fit for my schedule. And I kept my end of the deal. I was able to walk the stage for high school graduation. And, you know, I still have that picture sitting on our desk of myself with my son, who's a baby in that picture - he's now 17 - you know, at my graduation with me wearing my high school robes. I didn't even realize until last year, probably, how much of an impact that single decision really shaped my life, what it is now. I was able to join the military, and so that put me on the career path that I'm at now, which is in IT and information security. And my work is still relating to both the military and to the IT field. I'm a pretty accomplished professional. I've owned two homes. And all of that is because of his insistence that I finish high school.
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HEGWOOD: I made it a point to try and look him up, and I had realized that he has unfortunately passed on. But I hope that wherever he is, he knows that he's made an impact on my life specifically, and I'm sure many other students, 'cause I was just one of hundreds that have been around him. And so I'm really grateful.
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SUMMERS: Jon Hegwood lives in Lacey, Washington. His son, Ryan, just graduated from high school. You can find more stories of unsung heroes and learn how to submit your own at hiddenbrain.org. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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