By never giving up on their dreams, eighth graders at the Altoona Area Junior High School learned they can design their own destinies from Rocco Scalzi and John Schaefer of the Beating the Odds Foundation.

During a presentation Monday afternoon, Scalzi and Schaefer empowered about 550 students with messages of how to overcome obstacles through resilience and lead with a purpose.

While attending a similar assembly as a fifth grader, Scalzi, the foundation’s president and cofounder, said a Pennsylvania State Police officer inspired him to become a police officer.

Scalzi said he read books in a library and approached police officers on the street, asking them for advice to make his dream a reality.

Eventually, Scalzi realized his dream of becoming an Altoona police officer.

But on June 2, 1980, Scalzi’s life changed forever, he said.

While working the 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. shift, Scalzi said he responded to an incident about midnight in which a man armed with a shotgun was threatening to kill people from inside a home.

As he approached the home, Scalzi said he could hear people screaming inside.

Scalzi said he heard someone yell, “he’s coming out” and saw a silhouette lunging toward the door. Thinking it was the armed man, Scalzi fired his weapon and mistakenly shot and paralyzed one of the hostages who was attempting to flee out the front door.

Three years after the shooting, Scalzi said his badge was gone, his marriage was about over and he had “serious” drinking problems. Scalzi said he contemplated taking his life.

“As I thought of reasons to give up, I fought for reasons not to,” Scalzi said, noting he decided not to commit suicide after thinking about the impact the decision would have on his two daughters, who were young at the time.

The other reason is because Scalzi “was never a quitter” in life, he said, noting he got the help he needed and ended up in Boston in a program with other police officers.

His psychologist made them stand up and talk about their situations, Scalzi said, noting an officer from Los Angeles recalled an incident in which he accidentally shot and killed a 5-year-old boy.

The officer saw an individual come out from a bed with their arms pointed at him with a gun. In a split-second decision between life and death, the officer fired his weapon, Scalzi said. Within seconds, the individual stood up, stepped forward and fell down.

It was the 5-year-old boy with a toy gun, Scalzi said, noting the boy bled to death in the officer’s arms.

“When I heard that story on that day, that was the first day of getting my life back together,” Scalzi said, adding he realized that he wasn’t alone.

Likewise, the eighth graders who listened to his speech are not alone in the challenges they face, Scalzi said.

Scalzi then founded the Beating the Odds Foundation and brought together a group of people — known as “quarterbacks of life” — to inspire and motivate students to achieve success in their own lives.

Schaefer, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel, is one of the quarterbacks of life.

Schaefer grew up in Minnesota from humble beginnings, he said, noting his mother was absent in his life, his father was an alcoholic and his stepmother was abusive and not mentally stable.

As a child, Schaefer’s biggest dream was to “build a strong family unit that could be a shining light in the world,” he said, adding he now resides in southern California with his wife and children and is the chief executive officer of a manufacturing company called ADC Aerospace.

Schaefer shared his story of how he overcame adversities using a stepping-stone model that includes having dreams and goals, being self-aware, having a team of support, a plan of action and a positive mental attitude.

Schaefer said his story isn’t necessarily unique, but he hopes the students understand that every person has a story filled with challenges and difficulties that can be overcome.

“It’s about having hope for a bright future,” Schaefer said, noting students can use his blueprint to achieve their dreams and goals.

One student, Ethan Fornari, said he plans to do just that.

Fornari aspires to be a “YouTuber” and asked Schaefer for advice during a Q&A session near the assembly’s conclusion.

Schaefer advised Fornari to find out as much as he can about what it takes to be a successful content creator and to never give up on his dream.

Fornari can be successful at anything he puts his mind to, Schaefer said.

After the assembly, Fornari said he was able to buy a gaming headset in 2023. He enjoys playing games like “Gorilla Tag” and “Fortnite.”

Fornari said he realizes he’s likely going to face some challenges along the way, but he’s determined to not give up on his passion.

“I just now realized that no matter how much (adversity I face), I’ve got to keep going with content creation before I even deal with the problem after that,” he said.

Assistant eighth grade Principal Jason Hatch said school officials plan to incorporate the foundation’s blueprint in its Leader in Me social and emotional learning curriculum.

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.