Steven Koren is a high school student that applies for the Susan Ross Scholarship awarded by the Susan Ross Foundation.
He claims to be the captain of his high school's chess team, which won the state championship, however that may have been a lie. He catches George's attention by mumbling an inaudible fake name when asked who his favorite chess player, much in the same fashion the George has done on occasion. When he reveals to George that he tells people that he would like to be an architect, George decides to award him the scholarship, despite his average grades.
Seeing a younger version of himself in Steven, George sees the chance to make Steven into the man that he always wanted to be. When Steven is introduced to the Board of Directors of the Susan Ross Foundation, Wyck Thayer initially has reservations about Steven receiving the scholarship, given his mediocre grades (2.0 GPA). George insists that Steven is the right student based on his desire to study architecture, but Steven informs Wyck that he has bigger plans then being an architect, he wants to be a City Planner. This upsets George and soon thereafter George takes the scholarship away from Steven.
With his scholarship taken away, Steven becomes so disillusioned that he joined a street gang known as The Van Buren Boys.
* Down to You
