She inspired those with Down syndrome as unstoppable — until she wasn’t; This 93-year-old woman finally got her long-awaited high school diploma; Meet Ibtihaj Muhammad, the history-making Olympian who called out SXSW for telling her to remove her hijab; He fled to the U.S. for political asylum. Two years later, he won a full-ride to GWU; MIT scientists find evidence that Alzheimer’s ‘lost memories’ may one day be recoverable; It’s hatched! Live cam shows baby bald eagle is born at the National Arboretum; No. 2 is coming; Meet the teen who just won $150,000 for inventing a device to diagnose lung disease; Mother Teresa’s followers in India celebrate her appointment with sainthood; Richard Gere lends his star power to homeless women in D.C.; These teen scientists, vying for $1 million in scholarships, will give you faith in the future;   Stories that inspire   John Kelly / TWP Would you offer strangers a ride? I did. We had a blast. When Metro shut down, I gave four strangers a ride in my car. Best. Commute. Ever. By John Kelly  •  Read more » She inspired those with Down syndrome as unstoppable — until she wasn’t Laura Lee’s sudden death at 33 is being mourned across the country By Theresa Vargas  •  Local  •  Read more »   This 93-year-old woman finally got her long-awaited high school diploma "Oh, it just feels wonderful," Dorothy Huston said. "I feel like I'm 18 again and I just graduated." By Sarah Larimer  •  Inspired Life  •  Read more »   Meet Ibtihaj Muhammad, the history-making Olympian who called out SXSW for telling her to remove her hijab Muhammad will be the first Olympic athlete to compete for the U.S. while wearing a headscarf. By Sarah Kaplan  •  Morning Mix  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   He fled to the U.S. for political asylum. Two years later, he won a full-ride to GWU George Washington University suprised 10 D.C. high school seniors with full scholarships. By Perry Stein  •  Education  •  Read more »   MIT scientists find evidence that Alzheimer’s ‘lost memories’ may one day be recoverable Scientists had assumed for a long time that the disease destroys how those memories are encoded and makes them disappear forever. But what if they weren't actually gone -- just are inaccessible? By Ariana Eunjung Cha  •  To Your Health  •  Read more »   It’s hatched! Live cam shows baby bald eagle is born at the National Arboretum; No. 2 is coming Baby bald eagle hatches at National Arboretum in Northeast D.C. By Dana Hedgpeth  •  Local  •  Read more »   Meet the teen who just won $150,000 for inventing a device to diagnose lung disease She hopes to save lives in the developing world. By Emma Brown  •  Education  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Mother Teresa’s followers in India celebrate her appointment with sainthood Pope Francis plans to canonize the caregiver to the “poorest of the poor” in September. By Rama Lakshmi  •  World  •  Read more »   Richard Gere lends his star power to homeless women in D.C. The actor visited N Street Village Tuesday, then spoke at a fundraiser for the women’s shelter. By DeNeen L. Brown  •  Local  •  Read more »   These teen scientists, vying for $1 million in scholarships, will give you faith in the future They're solving problems related to kidney disease, lung disease and plastic litter. By Emma Brown  •  Education  •  Read more »   Recommended for you   In Sight A curated view of your world in photos, in your inbox weekly. Sign Up »         Share The Optimist:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for The Optimist or because it is included in your subscription. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2016 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071