Posted on 04/18/2020 7:54:00 PM PDT by Hojczyk
Years of hard work have paid off for Columbus, Ohio teen Lashawn Samuel.
Living in poverty and struggling with hunger, Samuel had to be hospitalized at times due to health issues, and lost a friend to gang violence.
Nevertheless, the young man walked 3 miles every day from his home to a local library to study and get help with his homework.
Starting in eighth grade, Samuel began his daily walk from his home to the Columbus Metropolitan Library, where he would sign in to the Homework Help Center at 3:00 p.m., work until the center closed, and then walk back home.
Sometimes he walked home in the dark to his Section 8 housing.
Incredibly, the young man has now been accepted to 12 colleges, with several offering a full scholarship — including his dream college, Ohio State University, where he is planning on attending the Fisher College of Business.
Samuel will be the first person in his family to go to college.
The budding scholar said:
"I never would have achieved it without God, my family, my friends and this environment I have around me.
There's always going to be a challenge or an obstacle that you're going to have to overcome or grow out of. But as long as you keep true to yourself and have faith and persevere so that you can overcome it, then you will."
Kelly Young, one of the Homework Help associates at the Columbus Metropolitan Library who helped Samuel, said:
"The kid has tremendous perseverance and he just keeps going.
During a time like this, when we are all facing such uncertainty, I think Lashawn's story can really teach us. Using the resources that are around us in our community and depending on each other,
(Excerpt) Read more at disrn.com ...
I hope he doesn’t have to walk to college!!!
I hope he does VERY well. Gave credit to God and family.
Walking three miles is no big deal. Living in New York you can walk that every day just running errands.
He is probably close to The OSU campus.
Good for him!
I used to love walking from Rockefeller Plaza to the staten island ferry very late at night after work.
Get a beer in a bag and walk.
Just me, the cabs and the cops...and a few others :)
Sometimes grab a few beers in a bar then continue the walk.
Good days.
Horatio Alger would be proud.
A much needed positive story for a change.
Great story.
Not everyone deserves to go to college. This guy does. He earned it.
You won’t be able to do that in the future. As county and municipal budgets shrink from lack of tax revenue due to the shutdown, libraries will be among the first services to be cut.
Walking.
Good for him. Perseverence and a great attitude.
Indeed. Both my wife and I are the first in our families to graduate from college. My wife grew up very poor in the Philippines and came to the USA to attend university at great sacrifice from her family and extended family who all worked and contributed to that cause because they recognised at a young age she could be one to succeed.
I came from a family of laborers and attended the same university where we met. That was 38 years ago.
Since then, our success has helped us help several other family members to attend college/university because we have the means to do so.
Praise God! Wonderful story.
Good for him! May he be an example for others to follow. I wish him well as he goes on. He will be in my prayers every night.
Beyonce or Oprah should help this kid out. He will need more than a full scholarship
not many kids would do what he did.
Sad that a smart, determined kid like this is going to waste his life on college. Nevertheless, I wish the best for him.
Bravo!
Seriously? What is the void in your life that compels you to belittle a young fellow trying his best to overcome his circumstances?
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