If you want to be the best, you have to do the things that other people aren’t willing to do.
DEDICATION
This biography is dedicated to the youth of the world—those who dare to dream, strive for greatness, and seek to create a brighter future. To the young minds filled with ambition and determination, may you always believe in your potential and never let fear or doubt stand in your way. Your journey will have obstacles, but every challenge is an opportunity to grow, learn, and rise stronger than before.
To my parents, wife, children, siblings, mentors, colleagues, and all those who have guided and supported me throughout my journey, I extend my deepest gratitude. To my parents, your wisdom, encouragement, and belief in my vision have shaped my path and fueled my commitment to mentorship and leadership. Your guidance has been invaluable, reminding me of the importance of lifting others as we climb.
To my loving wife, whose unwavering support and encouragement have been my source of strength, I am forever grateful. Your belief in me has given me the courage to keep pushing forward, to embrace new challenges, and to continue my mission of inspiring and empowering others.
Finally, this book is dedicated to those who refuse to give up—those who push forward despite life’s hardships, who rise after every fall, and who remain committed to their dreams. May this story remind you that perseverance, discipline, and a strong sense of purpose can lead to extraordinary achievements. Never stop believing in yourself, for the future belongs to those who are bold enough to chase their dreams and help others along the way.
Dr. Rare Nine
Phase 1 : Rising from Strength to being a Young Dreamer
Dr. Rare Nine started his life in Salisbury, Maryland, when he arrived on September 9, 1955, in this active city. He started life as the fifth child among six siblings who grew up under the influence of disciplined family values and working hard. Dr. Rare Nine received his character values of responsibility and resilience along with his deep respect for education from his parents, Luther Mckinney Senior and Dorthy Virginia McKinney. The household had love as its foundation yet operated through structured guidelines that combined high expectations for constant achievement among all its children.
As Dr. Nine grew up, his father, who embodied solid moral values and established financial discipline because he believed in diligent toil. The principles of responsible money management and disciplined living, along with maintaining integrity, were not mere words for him because he showed these concepts in practice. Young RARE NINE revered his father as an ideal man who displayed strength and capability as his main standards for personal development. His father educated his son about labor values by having them work together in the fields, where they picked different fruits, including strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, and watermelons. The days spent working under the Maryland sun delivered both crop farm benefits and enduring life teachings to his mind.
Dr. Nine considers his disciplined child years as a fascinating time despite his tough educational journey. Rare grew up among six siblings of his parents, Lenora Mckinney, Luther Mckinney Junior, Romanda Mckinney, Lana Mckinney and Reginald Lee Mckinney. The household filled with six children brought continuous laughter throughout the day. He has a half-sister by his dad named Brenda Bounds. He also has a half-brother by his dad named Eugene Bounds.
Even though education gave him many opportunities, he did not feel drawn to subjects such as science and mathematics. He found school equations and numerical calculations uncomfortable to follow since they failed to interest him the way real-life activities stimulated him.
Education stood as a primary focus in the McKinney household regardless of his uninterested approach to certain subjects. His father maintained strict discipline regarding schoolwork, which meant every child had to manage their studies according to a schedule. Any sign of laziness had no place because his father demanded absolute dedication from his children. RARE NINE encountered discipline as both hard to control and favorable at the same time. Through his incomplete interest in different academic subjects, he learned about the significance of keeping at challenging tasks. These education experiences taught him important lessons that proved vital when he enrolled in the Marine Corps service and afterward.
Phase 2 : Igniting Minds and Healing Souls
Dr. Rare Nine saw education as more than a personal activity because he felt compelled to set sparks in thinking, expand understanding, and direct people towards expanded learning. During his childhood, mathematics and science did not interest him, but his strong fascination with understanding and building relationships with people drove him to spend his entire life learning and instructing others.
Dr. NINE chose to dedicate himself to higher education soon after completing his service as a United States Marine during 1991. Dr. NINE attended the University of Maryland-University College to receive his Bachelor of Science diploma, which combined paralegal studies together with criminal justice studies. The academic courses provided him with essential analytical abilities and legal comprehension and problem-solving abilities, which turned out to be vital for his future counseling practice and advocacy work. He started his path of higher learning at this point. His dedication to serving others and his continuous pursuit of learning compelled him to obtain a master’s degree in education in guidance and counseling from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
The educational years proved to Dr. NINE the moment when he discovered what truly fascinated him. Knowledge acquisition at this point served two purposes for him—he needed it for his own advancement but primarily wanted to provide others with successful life guidance. His military service background granted Dr. NINE discipline and leadership abilities through which he had already learned how to mentor people, but academic training allowed him to develop these qualities into an organized method. His graduate curriculum focused on developing insights into human conduct together with motivational psychology and communication technique study. To him, every student facing difficulties along with each person experiencing crises carried a hidden, profound narrative. Through his counseling studies he gained the skill to approach listening as a method that goes beyond responding to truly understand.
The educational path forward continued after his first diploma. His academic success continued when he enrolled in Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., to obtain his Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling degree.
His degree served as both a scholarship advancement and proof of his belief that healing processes unite emotional states with psychiatric conditions and spiritual experiences. Through pastoral counseling he linked faith-based principles to psychological counseling, helping people achieve spiritual transformation and emotional restoration. Dr. NINE treated everyone with patience and empathy as he worked with students and troubled youth and community members seeking direction while insisting that transformation could really succeed.
His counseling techniques delivered empowerment as their central foundation. Through his work he assisted clients in setting realistic targets along with creating/ordering their treatment interventions and establishing the self-assurance needed to rise above their challenges. Self-worth together with discipline and accountability, stood as central elements in his counseling approach. His approach involved more than giving instructions to his clients, as he provided them with complete guidance alongside necessary tools for their success. The purpose behind his work focused on creating long-lasting changes instead of providing fast solutions.
Phase 3 : The Journey Forged in Discipline
Dr. Rare Nine took a decision in June 1973 that would impact the rest of his life. At the age of seventeen, Dr. RARE NINE initiated his service to the United States Marine Corps. The pivotal moment in his life changed his character while challenging his endurance and establishing his qualities as a leader. His time in the Marines developed into more than his career choice because the organization acted as a testing ground that refined his mental before it strengthened his physical and emotional strengths.
Without any transition period, the Marine Corps introduced him to an entirely different planet, which required strict discipline followed by high precision levels combined with total commitment to duty. Boot camp presented a dramatic yet constructive change that required the civilian recruits to adjust to its demanding standards. Training in the early mornings and endless drills combined with physical training and continuous demands for strength performance and resilience created within him a lifelong character of toughness. Marine Corps training developed warriors instead of ordinary soldiers because they educated servicemen to endure difficulties in difficult circumstances and emerge as leaders in the most challenging conditions.
Dr. NINE soon grasped that choosing to fail or giving up was absolutely banned since he recognized his mission had no place for unwillingness to succeed. The initial phase of his career confronted him with a challenging learning path, which he handled with enthusiasm by receiving instruction and implementing acquired knowledge.
He achieved increased positions while identifying talents that went beyond his explosive physical power. The strategic skills combined with his people management capabilities revealed themselves, which positioned him toward administrative leadership positions. His battle took place within the fields of logistics management and career administration, which proved vital for military operation success even though Marines normally associate their achievements with combat. As part of his statistician role for enlisted personnel, he needed to perform detailed work and thoroughly understand career paths within the military organization.
Time spent in the Marine Corps went beyond performing his duties because it shaped his entire existence. The discipline and leadership experiences combined with the resilience he achieved while serving became foundational elements to support his work as an educator, counselor, and mentor. Service and excellence became the core values that the Marine Corps instilled in him by developing his unbreakable spirit and steadfast dedication to doing everything with utmost commitment.
In September 1991, Dr. NINE left the Marine Corps after living a honorable military service. Dr. NINE carried forward the important principles he obtained throughout his life despite his retirement from the Marine Corps. These core principles settled inside his personality to influence all decisions that followed after his military service. After serving in the Marine Corps, NINE became a leader and mentor with unmatched integrity, which governed his path even after retiring from military service.
Phase 4 : Guiding Troubled Paths Toward Hope and Healing
Following his time at the Marine Corps Dr. RARE NINE devoted his life to undertake healing work and provide guidance and advocacy to others. Through his counseling and social services work Dr. RARE NINE reached out to many people whose lives he positively touched. The field of mental health and youth advocacy drew him because he deeply believed all persons regardless of environmental limitations could transform and grow. His degree from counseling and human services allowed him to take positions offering direct help to young individuals who might otherwise fade into social breakdown.
The staff at Maple Shade Youth & Family Services employed Dr. NINE as a part-time therapist who dedicated his time to counseling minors who were placements in the juvenile justice system. The youth Dr. NINE supported dealt with numerous problems that included personality disorders and emotional disturbances combined with family breakdowns, substance use, and structural disadvantages. The counselor role for him involved moving beyond passive listening to become someone who led others while serving as both mentor and essential support for those he assisted. Group and individual sessions at his facility focused on teaching his clients coping skills combined with emotional control techniques and objective planning for success. Dr. NINE understood that these young men needed more than therapy since they required whole-system changes that involved both their mental mindset and their support networks.
Dr. Nine practiced counseling methods that displayed both empathy and strategic planning. The counselor avoided one-time solutions because he prioritized real long-term development. As he worked with his clients, he stressed having reasonable therapeutic objectives and monitored each person’s development to confirm its progress.
Dr. Nine understood it would take more than a short amount of time for his clients to overcome anger alongside abandonment issues, low self-esteem and structure deficits. Under his direction of patience and consistent guidance and through holding clients accountable, they learned how to overcome their challenges.
Dr. NINE expanded his work beyond therapy space by coordinating his efforts with social workers as well as probation officers and family members to establish complete support networks for his clients. As part of his approach Dr. NINE advocated for youth engagement while developing detailed follow-up care plans for all his young clients. Dr. NINE worked to provide all his youthful clients access to appropriate resources which included both ongoing counseling sessions along with education programs and employment training programs. Dr. NINE actively pursued opportunities which provided genuine life-building resources to his young clients beyond their required time in the program.
Phase 5 : The Guiding Light of Wisdom and Leadership
Since birth, Dr. RARE NINE has devoted his existence to mentoring while practicing leadership and providing service. His experiences as a Marine followed by his time as an educator, together with counseling practice and advocacy work, led him to develop a strong purpose of inspiring others. Through his work as a mentor, he reaches many people in addition to his classroom duties who need guidance as well as purpose and direction to succeed. His leadership, based on wisdom and authentic character together with patience, has made him a leading inspirational figure in his community as well as throughout larger regions.
Dr. NINE demonstrates through his many years of work that leadership requires more than possessing authority since it entails inspiring others who require guidance. His commitment to fostering young learners and assisting people in discovering their full potential drives his entire work. His objective consists of leading people toward better prospects for their lives as he works with students in educational institutions along with juvenile justice programs and mentoring programs. The professional duties he performed in counseling and education stemmed from his strong belief in serving others through empowerment practices.
Through his mentorship philosophy, Dr. NINE collaborated with others in 2024 to produce the RARE-9 Mentor/Mentee Workbook, which became a publication. The author uses this publication to teach people how to establish valuable mentor-mentee connections by teaching them about defining structure with accountability and authentic bond development. Acting as a co-author on the RARE-9 Mentor/Mentee Workbook held both professional significance and personal importance to him because he wanted to mold future influencers who would lead change. His writing in this publication demonstrates his conviction that mentorship requires active involvement for transforming another person’s life.
Dr. NINE demonstrates his leadership qualities through his work within several youth-focused community programs. Dr. NINE dedicated considerable effort to the LEAP Program, which helped vulnerable youth develop personal and treatment-related goals and achieve them successfully. Young individuals learned to build their confidence while preserving their positive self-perception while acquiring the capability to handle their difficulties with optimism through this program.
Dr. NINE made sure staff members and stakeholders adhered to strict ethical limits while demonstrating behavior representative of role models because he drew importance from robust support networks. During his hands-on work with these programs, Dr. NINE validated his philosophy that both guidance and structure, together with compassion, produce the most successful results for young individuals undergoing rehabilitation.
Dr. NINE’s enduring legacy remains embedded within the people he has assisted or mentored as well as the students he has coached into new futures and the individuals who received his life-altering guidance. Through his genuine leadership approach, Dr. NINE created a chain reaction that guarantees the preservation of his values across multiple generations. He demonstrates through his work that mentorship means supporting people by standing beside them while providing direction to help them develop their individual ways forward.
Conclusion: Embracing a Legacy of Impact and Inspiration
Dr. RARE NINE’s life story is a testament to resilience, leadership, and the power of mentorship. From his humble beginnings in Salisbury, Maryland, to his distinguished career in the United States Marine Corps, education, and counseling, he has continuously demonstrated a commitment to growth and service. His journey has been shaped by discipline, hard work, and an unwavering desire to uplift those around him. Whether guiding students in academia, mentoring at-risk youth, or shaping future leaders through his writing, Dr. NINE has left an indelible mark on countless lives.
His ability to lead with wisdom and compassion has set him apart as a mentor and role model. Through his work in education, counseling, and advocacy, he has provided not only knowledge but also hope and direction for those who needed it most. His co-authored RARE-9 Mentor/Mentee Workbook serves as a lasting contribution to the field of mentorship, reinforcing his belief in structured, meaningful guidance. By fostering environments of support and accountability, he has empowered individuals to realize their potential and strive for personal and professional success.
As he continues his journey, Dr. NINE’s legacy remains a guiding light for future generations. His dedication to service, lifelong learning, and mentorship will continue to inspire those who follow in his footsteps. His story reminds us that true leadership is not about personal accolades but about the impact we leave behind in the lives of others. Through his work, he has proven that one person’s guidance can create a ripple effect of growth, empowerment, and transformation that extends far beyond their own lifetime.