• Homeless girl gets into College
    57 replies, posted
[QUOTE] Jessica Herrera’s high school resume is as impressive as any teen in the country, but it’s her experiences outside the classroom that might set her apart. The 18-year old recently graduated from Coral Gables Senior High School’s prestigious International Baccalaureate program with a 5.5 GPA. She scored a 1270 on her SAT. And she’s been homeless much of the year. “My senior year was always the year I looked forward to. But this year, things got really super hard at home,” Herrera said. “I just didn’t want to give up.” Because of her perseverance, Herrera was accepted into Florida International University and will be attending the school for free thanks to a few scholarships she was recently awarded. She plans to major in psychology and wants to work with children. A short time ago, the dream of attending college would have been nothing more than that – a dream. Herrera’s parents, Nicaraguan immigrants, lost their jobs at the beginning of her senior year and the family was evicted from the house they were renting. They moved to an apartment but were evicted from there, too. Things got so bad Herrera and her family spent many nights walking the streets of Miami looking for shelter. They eventually became squatters, living in vacant homes in Miami with no electricity or running water during the bitter cold snap in December. "When we were walking the streets, I was worried about the homework I had to turn in the next day," Herrera said. It would have been easy for the aspiring psychologist to quit and look for work to help her family out, but school was just that important. No one in Herrera's family had ever graduated high school, let alone attend a college in the U.S. “My sister dropped out of school and I started thinking maybe I should drop out, too” she said. “There were times I came home and there was no food. I wanted to get a part-time job or something, but my mom told me to focus on school only.” Following her parents’ advice, Herrera stuck with her challenging classes and teachers at the high school never knew about what she was facing once she left the campus. “All they knew is that I didn’t have a computer at home,” Herrera joked. "I wanted to be the first in my family to graduate." The family eventually split up, with Herrera's father leaving the area to look for work, and her mom and sister moving in with relatives. Herrera eventually took up refuge at a homeless shelter in downtown Miami, where she has lived for the past few months. The shelter life wasn’t new to her because her family lived there when she was a little girl. The distractions of homelessness didn’t deter the young woman and she even had encouragement from the other homeless people at the shelter, who have kept an eye on her educational progress. “The first day I was there, I started crying watching the kids on the playground because I remember being in the same situation when I was a little kids,” Herrera said. “The last two months people were always on me saying, ‘Did you do your homework? You better be doing your homework.’” Even graduation day was bitter sweet for the financially-strapped family. Just weeks before Herrera was to receive her diploma, she found out her mother’s residency had been terminated and she was going to be deported back to Nicaragua this summer. Herrera's dad couldn't miss a day of work. Her mom was able to make it to the ceremony and watch Herrera walk across the stage. Despite all the obstacles and hardships, Herrera says she is upbeat about the prospects of her future, which includes reuniting with her family once again. “I don’t feel sorry for myself. I do feel it has made me stronger,” she said. “People really shouldn’t give up that easily. I almost did. Looking back on it, it was just a stupid idea." "Anything is possible as long as you work hard enough for it.” If you would like to help, please send donations to: Jessica Herrera Account 10013175 Bank of Coral Gables 2295 Galiano Street Coral Gables, FL 33134 Donations to an individual are not tax deductible but greatly needed and appreciated and go directly to the bank.[/QUOTE] [URL]http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local-beat/Homeless-Teen-To-Attend-College-for-Free-96182914.html?yhp=1[/URL] Man, this is a truly inspirational story, im happy for this girl. TL:DR "Anything is possible as long as you work hard enough for it."
Wow, that's pretty incredible.
good for her :3:
[QUOTE=jwk94;22676510]"Anything is possible as long as you work hard enough for it."[/QUOTE] You'd think so, wouldn't you?
5.5 GPA?! :aaa: She just showed us all up. Here we are, sitting at a computer, with electricity, a seat, a warm home with most of us living comfy lives, and she still freaking does this. And she says she want to work with [i]children[/i]. Not head into law or some other money stuffed industry, but to work with children. Man, I feel ashamed of myself for some reason.
5.5, yet only a 1270 on her SATs...
If she wasn't pretty I wouldn't care.
Anything is possible... so long as you have the money, intelligence, or looks to get it.
You know how pathetic your society is when a homeless person getting into higher education [b]makes the god damned news[/b].
Didn't they have a tv series on the hallmark channel?
I'll send $20 to her. I personally thought the fact that her mother was being deported was the worst part. :(
[QUOTE=Zeke129;22677744]You know how pathetic your society is when a homeless person getting into higher education [b]makes the god damned news[/b].[/QUOTE] Everyone likes a feelgood story, and almost every news station or source does it.
It will be impressive when she finds a job.
[QUOTE=Kushie;22676938]5.5, yet only a 1270 on her SATs...[/QUOTE] Perhaps English isn't her first language or maybe she's not too good at math. Anyways, it's obvious she but a ton of effort in.
5.5? And to think my 3.2 was decent...
I didn't know you could get above a 4.5...
i didn't know you could get above 4.0 nice
This news gives me hope =)
At least she wont be late to lectures she can sleep there.
[QUOTE=DrBreen;22679454]i didn't know you could get above 4.0 nice[/QUOTE] weighted. this is pretty inspiring. IB is hard as fuck
AP classes are ridiculous. That 5.5 probably came from simply doing all the homework in her AP classes.
[QUOTE=Ignhelper;22677833]Didn't they have a tv series on the hallmark channel?[/QUOTE] You're thinking of 'Homeless to Harvard' on the Lifetime network.
Man, upped by a homeless girl.. what the fuck internet bro's.
her teachers took pity on her and up'd her marks. it's the only explanation.
:3: :3: :3: :3:
Well seeing how she literally has no recreational activities to do at home, it's pretty obvious she just does all of her AP homework. The SAT score pretty much proves the GPA is not a determining factor she is Einstein.
They clearly have some weird GPA system.
Help those who help themselves.
Isn't a 1270 for the SAT terrible?
[QUOTE=Ivebo;22679094]I didn't know you could get above a 4.5...[/QUOTE] Every district is different which is why weighted grades are a load of horseshit.
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