Some gifts with which children are born are not all that great. There are many categories of at risk gifted children, each with a separate set of needs. Among these categories are profoundly gifted, gifted with LD, gifted and emotionally disabled, and an increasing number of gifted youngsters who try unrealistically to be perfect. In what ways can teachers reach these at risk students? The key is appropriate education. Many programs do not meet the needs of this population, but teachers who are champions of very able learners have an intrinsic sense that enables them to identify atypical gifted students. In this article, the author recounts her first experience with an at risk gifted student, Tom, and describes how her determination to help him eventually paid off. However, many at risk gifted students are not as fortunate as Tom. Rick manifested a strong sense of perfectionism. If he did not believe he could achieve a task in perfect fashion, he would not try it at all. Rick was quickly labeled an underachieving gifted student. Underachievement is a complicated characteristic of some gifted youngsters, and it is difficult to recognize, treat, or reverse. The author learned from his mother that at age 24, he had taken his life. Billi, a profoundly gifted--bright beyond the calculations of her abilities, was embarrassed by the vocal disapproval of her teacher and would not soon offer an insightful question in her class. She needed an advocate. Matt was given the Structure of the Intellect (SOI) Assessment, which measures 180 ways of thinking. His scores in scientific thinking charted at the upper middle school range, yet he could not meet his 2nd grade level expectations in reading and, therefore, was placed in an LD classroom. Because of his high scores in scientific reasoning, Matt was eventually included in the gifted program. The author calls on teachers of the gifted or regular education teachers who can recognize and also "like" the way bright students operate to become their advocates, to identify those who they know are bright but may mask their abilities, to give them a reason to participate in challenging learning situations, and to discover their passions and areas of potential.