If you walked up to a homeless man and offered him either one hundred dollars or a laptop and some coding lessons, which do you think he’d take?

When Patrick McConlogue, a computer programmer, met Leo Grand, a homeless man in New York City, he saw someone who had tenacity and unlimited potential.

So he offered him the cash or the coding lessons…and Leo chose the latter.

CNN asked Leo what he wanted to do with the information he was learning. Leo answered,

Make the world a better place.

CNN noted,

If Patrick was teaching Leo English, few would care. But coding is the language of a new American dream.

Logan Ury, one of Leo’s friends and mentors is excited about what Patrick and Leo are doing. She says,

At the end of the day, if you didn’t go to college but you write elegant, efficient code, then that’s what an engineer is.

She hopes that the idea will someday help other individuals who are down on their luck. After all, every single person is made in the image of God and has a great deal of creative potential. With some respect, commitment, and mentoring from others, who knows what gifts and talents they could bring to the table?

What is Leo doing with his new coding skills? Watch the rest of his story here and leave your comments here.