From Inner-City Nobody to Brilliant Neurosurgeon When Ben Carson was in school, his classmates called him the class dummy. Many-including Ben himself-doubted that he would ever amount to anything. But his mother never let him quit. She encouraged Ben to do better and reach higher for his dreams, and eventually he discovered a deep love of learning. Today this young boy from the inner-city is one of the world's greatest pediatric neurosurgeons. Through determination and lot of hard work, Ben overcame his many obstacles and is now dedicated to saving the lives of critically ill children around the world.