Surgeon General Dr. Rich Carmona and some young friends during a visit to a New York City school.

Take it from the 17th U.S. Surgeon General, a formerly homeless Hispanic high-school dropout: Life is what you make it. Read Dr. Rich Carmona's perspective, "50 Years Later: Prejudice Remains, But Opportunities Abound."

Join the conversation on Twitter with Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., FACS, President of the Canyon Ranch Institute Board of Directors. Dr. Rich Carmona will be sharing his views on public health, safety, and security from both a national and global perspective.