Being homeless has not prevented some black youths from
achieving their goals in life -- AFP Photo
June 2009: Barack Obama becoming President of the United States
has changed our perception of black young Americans.
Now we know that despite the disadvantages and prejudices
stacked against them, many black youths have the guts, discipline
and intellectual talent to do very well in school, to be active
leaders in their community, and to be focused on achieving their
life goals.
Take the case of 17-year-old Kenneth Chancey who lives in a
homeless shelter in Skid Row -- one of the most violent areas in
Los Angeles, a sprawling city known for violent crimes among young
blacks.
When he was younger, he used to live in a van with his mother
who did drugs and a stepfather who beat him up. Later, he moved
into the homeless shelter with his sister and father.
However, living in such difficult circumstances has not defeated
him. Kenneth is a top student, the student body president and star
football player at a Hollywood school. And he is applying for study
in Harvard University’s medical school which he hopes will give him
a future as a doctor.
He can't afford the school’s US$50,000-plus-a-year tuition, but
that’s not going to stop him from trying for a place and a
scholarship.
Kenneth can certainly look to Khadijah Williams for
inspiration. Khadijah is another homeless teen from Los
Angeles who will be attending Harvard this year.
Despite having attended 12 schools in 12 years, Khadijah
graduated from Jefferson High School with a 4.0 grade point
average. To get to school, she has to take a bus for a few hours
daily to and from her homeless shelter. (In America, this score
means achieving an A for every subject)
Khadijah received offers from more than 20 top
universities, including Brown, Columbia, Amherst and Williams but
will be taking a full scholarship in Harvard.
The Harvard interviewer who met with Khadijah to gauge whether
she should be accepted said it was clear that Khadijah was a top
student and is convinced that if Harvard doesn’t take her, they may
be missing out on grooming the next Michelle Obama!
Kenneth and Khadija are facing
odds that are enough to overwhelm most people. But they have
maintained a powerful, potent vision for themselves that could
serve as an inspiration for most of us.
it's nice to be born with such good IQ
