When Sam McNeal was just six years old, he watched an episode of NOVA with his parents, and his live was forever changed.
The episode “Super Bridge” centered on the construction of the Clark Bridge in Alton, an engineering marvel full of challenges and triumphs. The story captivated Sam and ignited a new curiosity for the struggling student. His mother reached out to the construction company that built the bridge to tell them of her son’s newfound interest in engineering. They told him that if he wanted to build bridges he should work on reading and math. And just like that, he had a reason to try.
“By the end of that school year, I went from all Fs to straight As,” he said. “It really turned me around and really gave me motivation for what I wanted to do with my life.”
Today, 25 years later, Sam is a U.S. Army Captain who just returned from a humanitarian mission in the Middle East.
Sam’s story is remarkable, but it’s one of many we hear every day at Nine PBS. Our work in public media impacts kids, families, educators, and people across the region in wonderful and unexpected ways, creating lasting change in our community.
Hear more about Sam’s story in the video below.
