Dawn Loggins studies in her bedroom
Despite being abandoned to homelessness by her
parents, Dawn Loggins worked as a high school custodian by day and
studied hard by night to become the first person from her school to
ever be admitted to Harvard.
Loggins was able to visit Harvard this spring when the staff at
her high school chipped in to come up with the money to fund her
trip. She will receive financial aid from Harvard and also plans on
getting an on-campus job to pay for her room and board and
contribute toward her tuition.
“When you think of the best schools in the nation, it’s not
complete unless Harvard’s on the list,’’ Loggins said. “I feel like
the excitement won’t set in until I actually get up there.’’
Homelessness and hardship have forced Loggins to grow up much
faster than the average teenager, but they also have strengthened
her for the journey ahead and shown her the path she wants to
avoid. She plans on majoring in biology at Harvard, and still
remains close with her parents and sisters despite the abandonment.
They will be attending her graduation.
“I do feel like I’ve had to grow up fast, but I don’t really
feel like it’s been a really bad thing,’’ Loggins said. “My whole
life I’ve been able to look around and see all the bad choices my
family has made.’’
In the process, Loggins has shown the faculty at Burns High
School that students can return the favor and impart lessons on the
adults.
“We’ve got 60 educated adults in this building, and she’s still
an inspiration to us because she’s able to show us what kids can do
when they put their mind to it,’’ said school principal Dr. Aaron
Allen.
“She’s made Burns High School proud, (and) she has made everyone
proud,’’ Barrett said. “She is going to make Harvard proud.’’
Principal Dr. Aaron Allen has set up a special fund for
Dawn Loggins. Anyone wanting to donate can send checks to
Burns High School/Dawn Loggins Fund, 307
Dawn Loggins endured her family being evicted from their home
many times. When the electric bill didn’t get paid, she studied by
candlelight; when her parents lost their jobs, she subsisted on
noodles.
But that still didn’t prepare the senior at Burns High School in
Lawndale, N.C., for the shock of coming home from a prestigious
academic program last summer to discover her family had abandoned
her. It took her months to learn that her parents and two younger
sisters had gone to Tennessee, because she could not reach them;
their phone service had been disconnected.
One summer later, Loggins is preparing for her freshman year at
Harvard University after a remarkable rise from hardscrabble
circumstances to acceptance to the class of 2016 in one of the most
prestigious schools in the world.
Relying on a part-time job as a school custodian and the
generosity of others in her community, Loggins persevered to remain
a straight-A student. Her reward was becoming the first person from
her high school to ever be accepted to Harvard.
"It was never in me to give up"
“There were times when I felt like it would be easiest if I gave
up,’’ the 18-year-old told NBC News. “But it was never in me to
give up, because I realized that I was never going to be successful
unless I got an education.’’
Loggins worked as a custodian at school from 6 a.m. until the
students arrived at 7:40 a.m. every weekday, but she stayed focused
on her schoolwork. She would do another two hours of custodial work
after school each day and then do the homework for her honors and
advanced placement classes until midnight or later on most days. It
resulted in a 3.9 grade-point average and a 2,110 on her SAT.
“If this is the buffet of knowledge, then Dawn is a young lady
who has come to class and engorged herself,’’ her U.S. History
teacher, Larry Gardner, told NBC News.
After being abandoned by her parents, Loggins initially crashed
on couches at friends’ houses until school bus driver Sheryl
Kolton, the mother of a friend, opened up her home when she was
apprised of Dawn’s situation by her guidance counselor.
“I think that anyone would have done the same thing,’’ an
emotional Kolton told NBC News. “You have a good child in need of a
place to stay and wants to succeed.’’
Loggins also received help from her boss at her custodian job,
Junie Barrett, who washed Loggins’ clothes at school and helped
provide her with some food.
“All we did was just give her the basics she needed, but she’s
done this with her brain, with her determination, and nobody can
take credit for that except for Dawn,’’ Barrett told NBC News.
Shooting for the stars
Carol Rose, a local mother of three, helped Loggins fill out her
college applications and gain the confidence to apply to the top
schools in the country after initially applying to only local
colleges in North Carolina.
