Ignite Session Draft 1

I need to develop a response to a call for proposals for a presentation at a conference.. this is my first draft of the overview... comments and feedback welcome:

In pursuit of the love I craved but did not receive at home, I ran away from home to become a flower child. I ended up spending most of my teen years either fighting for my life living in the streets or serving time as a ward of the state. By the time I was 18, I had given up hope of a normal life and had resigned to the fact that I would spend the rest of my life as one of those sad faces that no one wants to look at; one of those that call the street their home.

The defining moment in my life was the day I found myself in the middle of a really bad drug deal. It was just another day for the girlfriend of a dealer. I sat on the living floor and watched the transaction go down; suddenly, the front door was violently kicked in. Men in masks were wielding shot guns and demanded money and drugs. The dealers refused; and at that point, the shotguns were aimed at the belly of the pregnant girl. That girl was me. The year was 1973.

Through sheer willpower and determination I was able to overcome insurmountable odds and led a life that was somewhat normal. I got off the streets, went back to school to not only complete my associate degree, but a bachelor’s degree and then even furthered my education with a master’s degree in business.

I have faced many demons on my chosen path but I have a firm belief that it was for all for a higher purpose. My passion is to find others that may be lost on that same path and give them back what the streets have taken from them. Hope.