About ten years ago, Jehiah Maduro stood in line to get measured for the gown he would wear to his graduation ceremony at H. Lavity Stoutt Community College.
In his mind, Mr. Maduro saw his body as muscular and well built. In reality, though, he was a skinny 160 pounds, the graphic designer recalled this week.
“Standing in line, the lady in front of me asked me how much I weighed, and I told her 180,” Mr. Maduro recalled. “The girl at the back of the line burst out laughing: ‘What part of you is 180 pounds?’”
That question shook the student, and it motivated him to put some “muscles on bones,” he said. So he took up a new hobby: bodybuilding.
Today, he weighs more than 180 pounds and runs a small garage gym where he helps other men live healthier lives and improve their physique.
“Maybe I should thank her now,” Mr. Maduro said of the young woman who teased him at the college.
See the May 15, 2014 edition for full coverage.
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