About a decade after she became first in her family to graduate college, he will start school at N.C. State University.

"My mom told me ... 'You're going to get good grades in elementary, middle school, high school,'" Downing said. "She promised me and my sister that we would never live like she did."

The 18-year-old Eagle Scout and soon-to-be graduate of Cary High School wants to study computers and start a business.

Downing is disciplined and has an unshakable confidence.

Effort yields opportunity, he says. To him, the successful are rich in wealth or knowledge.

His mother grew up poor in Hertford County. She landed a job in accounting when he was about 10. The family moved to Cary soon afterward.

"Having the opportunity to do better than what they did - it motivates me to be successful, and say, 'I came from this, I grew up from this,'" he said.

"Look what I represent. Now I'm better."

The turmoil of hardship and success drew him tight with his mother and sister. The family of three was never incomplete, he said.

"I'm going to protect them," he said. "It's automatic."

As he prepares to attend his mother's alma mater, he traces his nine scholarships and slew of honors back to her efforts.

Her spreadsheets and careful documentation guided him through college applications. And she walked the path ahead of him.

"She improved things for herself when she graduated from college," he said. "That's when things got better."

Downing wants to learn his subjects wholly, find stability in a successful business, then help others follow.

He adheres to the motto of the National Association of Black Accountants: "Lifting As We Climb."

"As you reach success, you pull us up with you," he said.