Based on the central ideas and details from the passage, write one to three sentences summarizing how the three friends changed and stayed the same after seeing the presentation. Thinking back to that presentation in the library makes me smile. What started out as three high school boys skipping class turned out to be the most significant event in our lives. If we had made it to the gym that day instead of the library, more than likely the streets would have swallowed us in the next few years. We never would have become doctors. Every­thing we needed to start on the road to success was included in one forty-five-minute presentation. And we almost missed it.

This was the first time that a path to my dreams was shown to me. Deep inside, I knew I could accomplish anything if given the chance. I just didn't know how to find that opportunity. That presentation showed me the possibility of reaching goals I had only dared to dream about. I think if a person dreams hard enough, sometimes a door will open to make that dream come true. Of course, it helps to be prepared to go through the door when the opportunity arises. We almost missed it.

We also had no idea that day that we were forming a pact that would last a lifetime. We just knew that somehow each of us individually might fail, but the strength of the three of us together just might be enough to succeed.

—We Beat the Street,
Sampson Davis et al