Ask Joe North how he became one of the most successful attorneys in Southwest Florida, and he'll tell you a story about sacrifice.
In 1983, North got into the Citadel with a track and field scholarship. While there, he dreamt of going to law school, but with sports taking up so much of his time, he wasn't making the grades he needed.
"So I called my parents and asked them, 'Can I come off scholarship? Will you pay for my college tuition?' Without hesitation, they said, 'Yes,'" North said.
To afford it, North's father mortgaged their family a home, a home he built himself.
“It just amazes me to this day that they had enough faith in me and in my dream to mortgage a house that was already paid for," North said.
Ever since, he has vowed to prove his parents' sacrifice was worth it, working hard in both the court room and the community.
Every year, his firm sponsors the city of Palms Classic High School Basketball Tournament. They also donated $100,000 to get the Fort Myers Black History Museum up and running.
"Even though $100,000 sounds like a lot of money, it's not when you consider what it's for, and that is to celebrate and to inspire," North said.
Of all his accolades and successes, one of his proudest achievements is a sign in Dunbar.
"You know, it's still soaking in with me to have a street named Joe North Way," North said.
It sits on the same street he grew up on, with that same home that reminds him what all his hard work is for.
"I'm hoping that I'm an inspiration to somebody. Maybe some of these kids, to look at me and look at their street and say, hey, you know, that's what I want to do. I want to go on and be a lawyer or some other professional. So I'm hoping that that corridor, that street, is a connecting point for the past and for the future," North said.