I know this one fellow who was adopted, I suspect his parents provided him with a solid foundation, but he built on that with engineering degrees, started his own company, did well in life, semi-retired to the South somewhere.
I'm aware I was born into a situation that afforded me inherent benefits, a middle class family and education, no huge advantages, but my parents believed in education. I ended up OK also.
We started a scholarship at my kids' HS for students who did very well overall but had not specific point of excellence and wouldn't get an academic scholarship. Most of the receipients came from disadvantaged families as it turned out, that wasn't a criterion but it informally became one, fine with me, it didn't go to students with wealthy parents. One went to the son of our postal delivery guy. It made a difference for them, a hand up for students who had worked hard. We were invited to the wedding of one of them and we went, his father broke down in tears when we showed up.
