From Homeless to Harvard: Kris Crocker talks with Liz Murray

[saltwaterfish2012]

Ur kool..

[JB33ist]

Hey Thanks . for being what you are ... :) Inspiring .

[MondoBeno]

There are a HUGE number of homeless high school students in NYC. These kids are moving constantly from the home of one friend or relative to another, couch surfing and crashing where they can, because they can't go home for one reason or another.

When you have a kid who comes to school slack-faced and sleeps through class, he's obviously been up all night. Probably slept in the stairwell of the building because his stepfather threw him out.

[theblondesillygirl2]

Wow...I just don't know what to say. She's an unbelievable woman. Everybody in the world should know her story!!!

[pinkloverbk]

such an inspirational movie

[chickeesue]

I just finished reading Liz' book "Breaking Night." It is extraordinary! I'm 62 years old, and read it with tears in my eyes throughout. Liz is the definition of perseverance, commitment, and if there are angels here on earth, there she is right before our eyes. Liz, you are an amazing young woman, and I applaud you - God Bless you.

[jasproul]

How did she know about scholarships, essays, college, and so on, or that it was even good to aim for any of those things? I didn't know what a bachelor's degree was until I was 32 years old, and I don't think I had ever even heard the word scholarship, or given any thought to what it meant, until I was 32. I guess she actually had a pretty normal upbringing compared to me.... Well, that's an unsettling thing to realize about yourself, considering the film on her!

[FrankieNorstad]

@jasproul I suggest reading her book Breaking Night. Her parents were heroin addicts, who had a difficult time staying off drugs. They couldn't pay their bills and they all ended up homeless. Her parents died of AIDS. She enrolled in a continuation school that helped underprivileged kids who weren't making it in the public school system. She began bagging food at markets for tips in order to feed herself. I'm not sure how your upbringing "compares" to hers. But I'm pretty sure she wins.

[jasproul]

@FrankieNorstad I have her book.  Actually, this woman had a loving upbringing with a lot of positive adult influences in her life and stable friendships compared to me. The aspect of being loved and shown some significant level of affection and concern being the main thing. As per suggestions I have gotten from various friends, I intend to write a book on my story. There are many people who grew up in FAR worse circumstances right here in the USA and we need to help & encourage them!

[FrankieNorstad]

@jasproul have you had a chance to read the Glass Castle or Piece of Cake? Both are great books. And you are right, there are people who have suffered far worse physical violence and neglect than she has. I hope you do write your story.

[jasproul]

@FrankieNorstad Part 1 Thank you. In her book, Liz says to the Times "I really need this scholarship." You see there that she had hope. Growing up in a kind of hell with no love, affection, or adult attachment figure, our mother figure didn't leave my bros & I any hope. I accidentally discovered that hope exists when I stayed w a friend's family & experienced the joy of children & what a family is after many years surviving on my own in a nightmarishly isolated & wounded existence.

[jasproul]

@FrankieNorstad Part 2. You can also see in her teen yrs, she had a fond, pleasant sense of relationship with her friends People coming from abusive environments with no love, affection or attachment figure, & noone to help them understand what is going on, don't develop the capacity to experience relationship like that. We need to reach and encourage THOSE people.

[mitchwayne1]

@jasproul Yes we do. Not to dis Liz, but to urge understanding...it's addiction and molestation and utter neglect that are the hardest hurdles to conquer. Liz is SUPER successful now and such, but hers is a VERY singular story.

[jasproul]

@FrankieNorstad And contrary to what her story implies, NO, we can not positive think & hard work our way to a better life coming from the kind of background I am talking about. Tremendous love, encouragement, and support was necessary even for Liz, who came from a much better start. How much more so it is needed for those coming from my kind of background. And the ones from backgrounds even much worse than mine? They live on our sidewalks, die young, and no they are not attending Harvard.

[quitejaded]

@jasproul I think the idea is when you have a desire for something better, you make the decision to seek out what can help you. People will see you. Liz's teachers saw her. Her hard work made them make the decision to believe in her. Her hard work showed them that she is worthy of their praise and support.

Its not a message of work hard and think positive alone. You are doing this so that good people will help you, too! You cannot do this alone, especially with a bad start!

[jasproul]

@quitejaded Actually, I realized a year ago how crucial the support system thing is & I've been trying to form it, but just don't see it coming together. I had a 3.8 GPA & was accepted at one of the most prestigious programs & no one did notice or provide support. I don't think anyone even knew where I was coming from in the first place. I'll take all the advice I can get on how to establish a support system, because I began to realize nearly 3 yrs ago that I can't go forward in life without it.

[quitejaded]

@jasproul I hope you do write a book! how is it going?

[jasproul]

@quitejaded you are an encouraging & supportive person for sure. Thanks for that. I've tried in the past to transform & over come but the support system you are describing was non existent. Also, the amount of healing still necessary was tremendous, now yrs in progress. I didn't even understand that support system is crucial until a year ago.

The book is pretty much written, I just need to edit essays and reflections from my blog. I think I need to read a few more also, such as "Piece of Cake."

[mitchwayne1]

@FrankieNorstad STOP IT. "She wins?" This isn't a competition. Liz Murray's story is one in more than a million: listen, there are many people with lives far worse than hers: people who end up angry or confused and certainly not able to sell themselves as she has.

[sktbd5001]

@DeeArrindahood I agree. And if 1prettysoul wants to bitch she can look up Ben Carlson watch the movie "Gifted Hands" he was an african American who went onto Yale then John Hopkins. So the race card really needs to stop. It comes down the the individual not the race!

[quillber]

"women helping women' blurgh. how about 'people' in future.

[68buickwildcat]

Her story is inspirational.