"In SEI, I realized I was capable of accomplishing big things..."

Sadiki Stone plans to live his life with no regrets. Without SEI’s guidance, his life could have been full of them. Always a precocious child, Sadiki looked up to the men with the money in his neighborhood — the men with the nice cars, clothes and women. These were pimps, gang bangers and drug dealers.

Sadiki’s life changed when he entered SEI in second grade. Through discussions at SEI, Sadiki realized that there were serious negative consequence to the lifestyles he saw on the streets, and that he wanted to take a different path.

As Sadiki matured, SEI helped him develop a network of contacts. At 16, SEI placed him in an internship with the Trail Blazers where he met Olympic Gold Medal skiing sensation Picabo Street. The experience was a revelation to Sadiki, “Seeing someone [like Picabo] in the media all the time, you hold them to a higher standard. But after hanging out with her, I realized she was just like me, and that made me realize I was also capable of accomplishing big things.”

Those “big things” included graduating with a degree in Sociology (playing football and basketball) from Willamette University, landing an executive position with Target, and hopes of becoming a billionaire someday — his own version of being the man with the money.