Sendurai Mani: The Power of Determination
Sendurai Mani, Dean Chair for Translational Oncology at Brown University Warren Alpert Medical School, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“The Power of Determination.
In my life, I’ve been fortunate to meet many incredible individuals, each with their unique lessons about resilience and perseverance. Recently, I met someone whose determination left me speechless, who is none other than my good friend, Mr. John Tarantino, whose story of determination is nothing short of inspiring.
Due to financial constraints, John set out to complete his undergraduate degree in three years – a challenge everyone deemed nearly impossible. Completing the program in that timeframe required a heavy course load each semester, leaving little time for anything else.
Yet, he was undeterred. Driven by pure determination, he undertook a demanding schedule and, remarkably, met all academic requirements within three years.
Then came another challenge: the program also mandated a sports component, requiring students to complete three trimesters of athletics to graduate. After careful thought, he chose martial arts, specifically Krav Maga, an Israeli self-defense and fighting system. He signed up and committed to pursue it past the required trimesters with the aim of achieving a black belt. The catch? Earning a black belt would typically take four years, and he had only three.
Every day, he trained relentlessly. When he asked his instructor about progressing through the typical ranks, he was told, ‘I only award a black belt; there are no others – you must defeat ten black belts in a single day to earn it.’ Undaunted, John requested to take the test on a specific day to align with his graduation goal.
The instructor, though skeptical, arranged the test. On that day, John fought all ten black-belt opponents, suffering cracked ribs and other injuries, but he didn’t give up. With sheer grit, he won each match. His teacher, astonished and unprepared for his success, hadn’t even ordered a black belt. Moved by John’s perseverance, the instructor handed over his own black belt – a belt John still proudly wears today.
Today, John continues to approach life with that same unwavering determination, tackling each challenge head-on. He is now a successful professional in his field, a true testament to resilience and perseverance. Thank you, John, for showing us that with grit and determination, no goal is too far out of reach.”
More posts featuring Sendurai Mani.
Sendurai A. Mani is an Indian-American oncologist and molecular biologist. Currently holding the Dean’s Chair for Translational Oncology at Brown University Warren Alpert Medical School, Dr. Mani also serves as the Associate Director for Translational Oncology at the Legorreta Cancer Center at Alpert Medical School.
Dr. Mani’s research focuses on finding the mechanisms driving cancer metastasis and therapy resistance, particularly in breast cancer. He is renowned for his discovery of cancer stem cells and their role in tumor progression and treatment resistance.
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