Chad Ledford had many challenges with alcoholism and cocaine addiction, which led to numerous misdemeanor charges and a felony charge. His life hit rock bottom, but it was actually the inmates in prison that helped him out of this dark place, showed him humanity, and motivated him. After incarceration, he got his life together and started community college at the age of 34. He now devotes his life to helping others, has received countless service-oriented accolades, and will be headed to UNC-Chapel Hill to pursue his undergraduate degree in fall 2018.

Chad is probably the most compassionate man I’ve ever met. He taught me so much about resilience, positivity, and empathy, in the time I spent with him, and it was such a joy to see life through his eyes.  One of Chad’s signature phrases, is “AWESOMETASTIC”, and Chad is truly an awesometastic individual.