From Homeless To Harvard

Eighteen-year-old Dawn Loggins of Lawndale, North Carolina grew up in a home with no running water or electricity.

She and her brother, Shane, had to go to the local public park to brush their teeth or fetch water for cooking. Dawn and Shane would sometimes go for weeks without a proper shower. Sadly, her mother and step-father were drug addicts, and as a result, they moved a lot and offered no stability.

Despite these obstacles, Dawn managed to remain a straight-A student.

During Dawn’s junior year at Burns High School, things took a turn for the worse. There was an eviction notice on the door of her home. She learned that her family had abandoned her and moved to another state while she was 200 miles away attending a summer program for North Carolina’s top students.

Though Dawn tells CNN she never expected her family to abandon her, incredibly, Dawn holds no anger or resentment against them. She feels they did what was best for her.

With no family and nowhere to go, the staff at Burns High became her new family. The school’s custodian, Sheryl Kolton, and her husband agreed to take Dawn in and have her live with them. The school also offered Dawn a job working as a janitor through their workforce assistance program.

Now with a place to live, a job, and something of a stable life, Dawn was able to put all of her attention on her studies and focus on where she would apply to college.  She applied to four local universities, and as a “why not?” she applied to Harvard University as well.

One by one, the acceptance letters came in from each of the four North Carolina colleges. Finally, days later, a simple envelope with a one-page letter arrived from Harvard.

Dawn was accepted, with tuition, room and board all fully paid for.

Once again, her family at Burns High rallied together to get Dawn to Cambridge for a visit. Dawn realized she had finally made it “home.”

Dawn graduates from Burns High School this week, and will begin her studies at Harvard University in the fall.

What an inspiration you are, Ms. Dawn Loggins. This story serves as yet another reminder that there’s nothing you can’t do once you put your mind to it.

All of us at Beezid.com wish Dawn the very best in all of her future endeavors!

Source: CNN