Floyd Philips is a poor kid from Harlem trudging down the street to give the commencement speech at his sixth-grade graduation. He should be thrilled, but while all the other kids are arriving with family and friends, Floyd is alone.

His grandmother died three years ago; his mother is in the hospital dying of cancer, his father can’t walk due to a crippling lung disease, and his brother and sister are attending middle school across town.

But lonely as he is that day, he delivers a speech that receives a standing ovation and reveals to him the power of words.

Left pretty much to his own devices after his mother dies two months later, Floyd drops out of high school to hang around with his “homies” on the street corner. He’s not interested in working or learning or doing much of anything expect partying.

It’s a recipe for disaster – or it could have been. But his mother and grandmother had instilled solid values in him, as well as an unshakeable grounding in the most spiritual philosophies in the Bible.

Floyd got his GED, and then, for want of anything better to do, went on to college where he developed a fascination for how the human mind works. One thing inevitably and surprisingly leads to another, and he accumulates three master’s degrees and a doctorate in psychology as well as a license in psychoanalyst.

Along the way, Floyd deepened his wisdom, both on the streets and in the classroom. As an African American man, he had his share of race barriers to overcome, while also fighting through a debilitating illness while studying for his doctorate. His story is one of determination, resilience, and a keen insight into what motivates people to realize their full potential.

Floyd founded The New York Institute for Health and Behavior that focuses on identifying underlying causes of mental illness and maladaptive behavior, n and teaching healthy coping skills for a wholesome lifestyle.