How does a Jewish high school student from Great Falls, Montana with "B" grades become a world-renowned scientist and founding director of Stanford's Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine? In these autobiographical reflections, Irv Weissman, Professor of Pathology and of Developmental Biology, describes his journey to Stanford Medical School and his decision to make medical research his life-long priority. He discusses his laboratory's work on blood-forming stem cells with the ability to cure some cancers, his experience and advice concerning formation of biotech companies in order to ensure that promising therapies reach patients in need , and his role in writing California Proposition 71 in 2004 that established the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine.