Think You Know Peanut Butter? #IHaveADreamSeries, Part One

There's an unfortunate reality of life that we must all face at one point or another: rejection. In the aftermath of #NationalDecisionDay this past May 1st, many of America's high school seniors are probably getting over rejection, from their first choice, second choice, maybe even their eighth choice (in my case) college for next year.

Rejection is nothing new, especially early in life. Enter George Washington Carver, who was a high school senior in 1884 when he graduated from public high school in Minneapolis.

He was accepted to spend his next year at Highland College... until he wasn't. The school turned Carver away, and for no other reason than the color of his skin. So what did Carver do?

Did he complain? Carver was part of the first generation of African Americans to grow up in the United States after the 13th Amendment was ratified. Although he was spared from the horrors of slavery over the course of his entire life, that didn't mean Carver had a silver spoon. He never knew his father. He left his mother on the plantation to go attend a black public school in Missouri between the years of 1877 and 1884; having to support himself as a teenager by exchanging chores for room and board from the school.

None of that ever stopped Carver. While many, myself included, would find it hard knowing what to do with myself without a family and a school to go to after high school graduation, what did Carver do? He kept working. He kept moving forward. He kept searching.

Carver would spend six years wandering the Kansas prairie, working jobs as both a laundryman and wheat farmer. Again, that is six years. I repeat that because I know I myself have searched for easy answers where there were none, have given up before I knew I had truly expended myself fully, and grew impatient when I should have kept at my mission.

While I'm making this all about me, I want to reiterate that this story is about Carver. Carver would eventually find the job of his dreams, enrolling in Iowa State College in 1892 from Simpson College, where he received his bachelor's from in 1894. Another two years, and he received his master's. Like any ambitious professional of today, another two years passed and Carver found himself in Alabama, becoming head of the agriculture department at the Tuskegee Institute.

From there, this story becomes about you: we have several inventions today to thank Carver for, ranging from a myriad of recipes for sweet potatoes, to the invention of peanut butter you put on your toast, to Carver's Hybrid, a plant which the inventor developed himself to improve the efficiency of cotton agriculture all over the United States economy.

Although Carver knew how to dress dapper for pictures such as the one on the right, most often he was found wearing simple gardening clothes. His personal beliefs meant he never really cared about profiting from his discoveries, preferring instead to share the gifts of the land with all of its inhabitants freely, as he believed would so please God.

"When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world." ?- George Washington Carver

Carver never married, and died on January 5, 1943. He left most of his savings to the Tuskegee Institute.

This blog is the first of many I am writing as part the #IHaveADreamSeries, a catalog of entrepreneurs, inventors, and visionaries who inspire me and I believe will inspire you. Have a historical figure you would like profiled? Send their name in! I am always on the lookout for mentors, especially in regards to the technology industry.

Zain Raza is an 18 year old aspiring software engineer. He plans to dedicate this summer to building skills for Amazon Alexa, particularly focusing on applications which will improve the healthcare system (personalized recommendations, streamlined communication between patients, doctors, and administrators, etc.). Please reach out if you want to collaborate on the project. I will be San Francisco to start college in the fall, but for right now I'm staying on the East Coast with my family.