For the first time, I was able to attend one of Nicolai’s motivational speaking engagements this afternoon thanks to iRobot summer hours (we work half days on Fridays). Today he was presenting to about 200 children from the Alcott Elementary School. This is perhaps his 6th engagement and he earns a fairly respectable speaking fee of $400 (not too shabby for a teenager). I was joined by Jeanine and Maya who were also seeing him speak for the first time. I can objectively say that his presentation and message were extremely powerful and moving. A teacher sitting next to me in the back of the auditorium said she had never seen the students so attentive and engaged for any assembly during the entire year.

Today was also Nico’s last day of high school and it was very poignant to watch him and his friends as the gravity of the milestone set in. It was as if they never imagined what this moment would actually feel like. I dare say the seemed a little melancholic.