Earlier this week I had the opportunity to host three young men now in high school at my gig. They came my way through a former co-worker Detective James Manning of the Seattle Police Department. James has been mentoring youth in the Seattle area for over a decade. Volunteering his time and just giving them a little push and steering them in the right direction. We need more James Manning’s in this world.

We generally chopped it up, talked about life, school and career. They were genuinely inquisitive and asked a lot of really great questions. At the end of the day it’s all about exposure. They had no clue that Facebook was right here in their own backyard. It’s so important to for them to see people that look like them workin’ at these tech giants in the city they call home.

These dudes weren’t asking for a hand out or hand up, they merely wanted to know how I got here. The world generally doesn’t see us, often discounts us. Thank god for people like James Manning for giving these dudes the exposure, access and inspiration to chase their dreams.

Rumble. Young men, rumble.