On that day in 1985, I became one in a population of children who are still far less acknowledged than their brilliant counterparts, those who garner headlines for their perfect G.P.A.s, their athletic prowess, their unflagging service to the community. Kids like me don’t get headlines unless they are part of the crime blotter or they take their own lives. The number of young high school dropouts has been slowly falling with time, but there are still around two million out there. I think I know some of what they’re going through: That day in 1985, I felt unseen, forgotten before I’d even begun to beanything at all.