My role model was not black.

Jamal Wills,
MD.

People often say that black kids need black role models. I sort of cheated. The wild hair, thoughtful eyes, the chin and the smile always reminded me of my grandfather. Yet, Albert Einstein was a German Jew whose prominence in the scientific community reached celebrity status. Even then, he still had to escape his homeland to avoid persecution.

I didn’t limit my sights by my color. I pursue my dreams because I know that ideas change the world, not skin pigment. To me, the streets of Chicago was where I walked to and from home, school, and the Chicago Public Library. That’s how I got to where I am today.