Homeless to harvard (Part 1)

Think a minute…It was high school graduation time in the U.S. and one girl who graduated was clearly the student “most likely to succeed.” 

Early every morning, long before her schoolmates were even awake, teenager Dawn Loggins got up before sunrise to clean the floors, toilets, and classrooms of her high school. She then started her full school day of courses, including advanced calculus, history and English. Then after her day of classes, she worked another two hours cleaning her school. 

Finally, after her day of work, classes, and extra school activities, including president of her school’s Spanish club and National Honor Society, she then starts her homework. But for Dawn, “home” is a sad, lonely, and constantly changing place. 

Dawn’s parents were drug addicts, and her first home was a dirty shack with no electricity or running water, so she often went days or even weeks without showering. In fact, Dawn and her brother had to walk 20 minutes to a public park to get water to cook with or flush the toilet. But she and her brother worked hard at their school studies, even though they had trouble doing their homework at night because their house had no electricity and they had no money for candles. 

One summer Dawn was invited to a 6-week honor program for the top students of her entire state. It was 200 miles away. When she returned home, Dawn was shocked to discover that her parents had moved away, leaving her and her younger brother to survive completely on their own. They didn’t even know where their parents had gone.

Yet, this amazingly strong girl decided she was not going to end up like her parents. By her determination and discipline, one year later Dawn graduated with top honors from high school and was accepted into Harvard University, one of the world’s top universities.  

No matter what difficulties and disadvantages you have suffered as a child and teenager, you can still choose to make something great out of your life and become your best. Won’t you ask your Creator to help you start becoming all that He created you to be? Just think a minute… 

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