Michelle Rose Johnson had a couple of strikes against her early on. First, she is Native American, so part of a group that faces discrimination and other challenges. Second, she got pregnant at age 15, and became a mother before she knew much about life.
Johnson learned, and learned a lot. She turned things around, found an occupation she loved--fighting fires--and rose through the ranks to become a Deputy Fire Marshal for the state of Oregon. She offers the whole story in an autobiography, My Life Ignited.
Johnson retired from fire service in the Rogue Valley a few years ago; we visit about her path to success.