12-year-old Robert Looks Twice appears to be the typical all-American boy. He is the quarterback of his school's football team, student council president and one of the top students in his class. But he hasn't forgotten his Lakota Sioux root. Unlike most children on the reservation  , he keeps his hair long, a symbol of strength, and he performs at powwows  , traditionally known as wacipis, where he is a champion of the traditional Lakota dance. Robert was inspired to start dancing by his grandfather, John Tail, who had a small role in the famous film about Indian Amercans, Dances with Wolves. Six years ago, John passed away, and Robert wears little wolves on his clothes in his memory. We are told that his last name, " Looks Twice", came about because his ancestors were cautious and always took a second look. Robert lives in a trailer   with his grandmother, uncle and eight other cousins. When he gives us a tour, the trailer is falling apart. " It is getting ready to cave in  ," says Robert about the kitchen floor. The family also put trash bags on the ceiling, because it's leaking. " When it rains it gets all my shirts wet," he says of another leak in his bedroom. Often the electricity goes off and the family have to use the burners on the stove to heat the house. This kind of poverty is typical of the reservation. The reservation is the third poorest county in America, and Robert's community, Manderson, is known for its high crime rate. But despite all the temptations   of drugs and alcohol around him, Robert remain focused on being the first person in his family to go to college and then a very big dream. " I want to be the first Native American President," Robert said. " I want to build better houses and clean up the reservation, because it's bad. Get people off the drugs and alcohol and spend that money on their children. Build a better school and playground. Try to get a mall down here to help people get work." What can we learn from Robert's experience?
Everyone should persist in chasing their dreams. The poor can get more help from others. It is never too late to study. It is necessary for everyone to go to college.