When Sammy was around eleven or twelve, I was taking a sports portrait of him to be used in a baseball composite team photo. At my urging, Sammy tried his best to put on his mean game face, but could never manage anything but a sweet smile. Fast forward several years to his senior photo. Sammy is now a section leader in the marching band, respected and beloved among his peers. His game face now is an alert, serious look, although it is completely void of any menace whatsoever. And the sweet smile is still his natural go-to expression.

Sammy is thinking of pursuing music education and business. His kind nature seems an asset in the first field, and going against the stereotype of the second. But I’m betting on him to show the world that nice guys can succeed!