Homeless Girl Overcomes Odds to Be Named High School Valedictorian
Homework was never easy for Chelesa Fearce -- mostly because she didn't have a home to do it in.
Chelesa was recently named valedictorian at Charles Drew High School in Clayton County, Georgia, even though she was homeless for most of her high school career and was forced to spend some nights sleeping in her mother's car.
No matter how tough times got, Fearce always remained optimistic:
“I just told myself to keep working, because the future will not be like this anymore. You’re worried about your home life and then worried at school. Worry about being a little hungry sometimes, go hungry sometimes. You just have to deal with is. You eat what you can, when you can.”
Chelesa, who also scored a 1900 on the SATs, excelled in the classroom, earning a stellar 4.466 GPA. As if that's not impressive enough, she took college courses for the last two years of school, meaning she'll already be a junior when she begins Spelman College later this year.
Way to go, Chelesa, and best of luck.