Homeless Teen Beats The Odds

It is up to the student to put in their best effort. There are no excuses. As long as you are not in the hospital, fatally injured or ill you should be able to do what is expected of you.

 

One student in Jacksonville, Florida shows us that not matter what circumstances you are in you can excel academically. That student's name is Griffin Furlong.

 

When he was a young child Furlong's mother died of cancer and soon after her death he, his father, and brother were living in a homeless shelter for two years. By the time Furlong was in sixth grade his family found a home. The family was still tight on money even when they had a roof over their heads, they did not always have food on the table.

By the time his junior high graduation was coming around the corner the family once again found themselves homeless. During his time at high school Furlong struggled to keep it together, in an interview wit WFTV 9 he admitted that there were times he just wanted to quit.

Despite dealing with homelessness and moving from place to place in search of shelter Furlong was able to maintain a 4.65 GPA. He explained that his mother was the reason he was able to keep his drive he needed to push himself and overcome his obstacles.

 

On June 4, he will graduate as his high school's valedictorian with plans to attend Florida State University and study civil engineering. Even though he was able to overcome the hurdles of getting through high school he now faces the difficulty of paying the school's tuition fee. Thanks to some strangers who made donations to Furlong's GoFundMe page he has raised over $20,000 which will be enough to pay for his first year.

After all Furlong has been through he deserves to receive a well-rounded education that will assist him in getting a stable job so that he may be able to support himself and his family.

For those who wish to make a donation to his college fund, visit Griffin Furlong's GoFundMe page here.