Learn why Judge Greg Mathis says that most people in poverty experience hopelessness and despair, and the way to beat that is to find your own special talent, then work hard and compete, in this video from the Dropping Back In series. Judge Greg Mathis dropped out of high school, earned a GED^® diploma, and got into college with help from a cousin. College didn't go well until he realized he wasn't good at math and science but he had a gift for liberal arts. He changed his focus to law, found his courses were a better fit for his talents, worked hard, got into law school, and launched a successful career. He tells adult learners, “that first step gives you the confidence to the next step, and every step thereafter, you feel a sense of achievement.”