Steve's Story (Spirits of Cibola County)

We all absorb knowledge on a daily basis. Steve’s brain is like a human PAC Man gobbling up information, sorting it out and storing what is needed for future use. He is a very intelligent, basically self-taught young man who never quite fit into the structure called the public school system.

When asked how he got so smart Steve replied, “I think the caffeine in the Mountain Dew I have been drinking since age 9 makes my brain work better.”

Steve works as a graphic artist and takes pride in his skill. He likes it to be as clean and legible as possible. He also runs his own computer based business, selling software and setting up web sites for clients. He eventually wants to expand his business to create user friendly video games.

Usually even-tempered and patient, Steve gets upset with machines that do not do what they are supposed to do. He believes it is possible to teach a computer to think like we do; to recognize objects in a room and use a voice recognition system.

Starting with first grade, he decided he wanted to be on the honor roll. He worked very hard and it did not happen. He felt he was not recognized. Today he believes it could have started a trend. In second grade his teacher constantly yelled at him and he yelled back. He said he spent a lot of time in the principal’s office that year.

When he was in third grade he was tested and placed in a mentally gifted program in California, where he and his mother lived. He did very well. Then his mother suddenly decided to move to Grants. Steve and his fourth grade teacher did not get along. She made a cardboard doghouse and put it around his desk. His mother loudly protested by voice and in writing. The next year they moved to a different school district.

Steve eventually dropped out of school and earned a GED. He said he never understood why the same subjects are taught year after year, adding, “You don’t have to read every book to know how to read.” Principals are more important to him than mathematical formulas. Steve admits he spent as little time as possible in class during high school.

In talking with Steve it is quite apparent that he is well read and has a wide range of interests. One of his more interesting talents is switching from one accent to another, sometimes in mid sentence. From a young age his mother spoke to him in accents and it sparked his interest. He wants to learn Japanese because there is no conjugation and he likes their culture and history.

Not everyone fits into the public system and it appears that Steve is a prime example of someone who found a better education for himself by himself. He decided to learn his way. He is taking selected classes at NMSU, not for a degree, but for an education in the subjects that will help him reach his potential goals.

(Steve still lives in Grants and is busy making his computer based business a success.)