In one of the most provocative moments of the speech, Tyson challenged the conventional wisdom about role models. Growing up in the Bronx, there was no black astrophysicist he could point to and say, 'That's what I want to be.' If he had waited for one to appear, he would never have pursued his dream. Instead, Tyson proposed assembling role models 'à la carte' — taking the moral character of one person, the athletic discipline of another, the intellectual curiosity of a third, and combining them into a personalized model for yourself. This approach had an additional benefit: when any single role model inevitably 'messes up in some fundamental way,' you don't feel compelled to follow them off the cliff. You've taken only the pieces you need.