SALIK KARIM, New York Eagles Chapter President. Seventh in an impoverished family of ten, and expelled from Sterling High School in Brooklyn in the 11th grade, Salik learned to fight for the right to survive on the embattled Bedford-Stuyvesant streets. Like so many others, his quest for physical dominance led to early long-term incarceration and underlying bitterness. Ultimately, however, the Eagles message-that big ideas can transform us-resonated with Salik's deepest internal journey and he reentered society determined to rise by virtue of intellect and compassion. He served for twelve years as a paralegal housing welfare specialist, then one year as case manager for the Doe Fund. He is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in social work at Medgar Evers College. A graduate of the Eagles "Taking Wings" and communications programs, Salik is an inspiring and in-demand public speaker, who embodies and the Eagles message of optimism, realism, self-reliance and contribution to community, and is an authentic role-model for inner city youth and ex-offenders re-entering society.