The Olympics. Perhaps each nation's media coverage revels as much as ours in the depth and breadth of adversity overcome by our quadrennial heroes. Childhood poverty, single parents and battling parents, pre-dawn practice hours, injuries and surgeries, difficulty in school, a variety of hidden, personal sacrifices offered on the altar of athletic success. At some point yesterday while watching one more such colorful commentary meant to make heroes more human, it occurred to me that these stories of surmounting obstacles sounded much like those I've been collecting since joining the Stern Center. The difference is that the Stern Center stories are about struggling learners, hours of slogging through efforts to read and learn, to compete with one's peers, eventually to mount the medal podium of learning success. The pain endured, the sacrifices made by individuals and their families, the conviction that success is possible, and the joy at achievement are the same for the Olympians as for the father and son who recently told their respective stories to a ballroom full of appreciative admirers. As each took his turn at the podium there was no medal draping, but we smiled and applauded their victories just the same.