john pender grast. >> thank you, carson scott, carson conyers, congressman sue will for your unswerving leadership on these issues. i'm humbled to be on this panel and we can only hope we'll get some paraphernalia from csi: new york at the end of this for our reward. this isn't my primary profession just like it isn't in hill's. my qualification largely stems from stumbling onto a life-changing path at the age of 20 years old when i was visiting a friend of mine who was working in a homeless shelter right here in washington, d.c. and i ran into this guy right here to my left, michael maddox, who was all of 7 years old. since my experience as a mentor is why i'm here on this panel, i want to tell you about three of the ten guys i've worked with over the last 25 years. and the very different trajectories which resulted, i would argue, from their varying access to the kinds of programs, the very programs that this youth promise act would be supporting. first story i want to tell you is about nasir. he was actually the biological brother of my first formal little brother the in the big brot