I grew up going through a gifted program (in the 80s) and it was the gifted program that was the subculture i fell into that really pushed me.

Before that I was isolated and flunking out. Maybe I would eventually have found my people, but at least for me the gifted program found me, and got me on the right path at an early enough age to matter.

Btw, this was in a region where intellectual capability and success was not as celebrated as it is in the Bay area.