Homeless to Harvard

In today’s society, as human beings we have a tendency of remembering the past, whether if it’s good or bad it will always exist because its a common situation in which everyone eventually experiences throughout their lifetime. As we saw in the movie “Homeless to Harvard” about a young women named Liz Murray who becomes homeless at the age of 15, when her mother died of aids, and her father moves to a homeless shelter due to the influence of both drug-addicted parents. Despite everything Liz Murray had gone through in her everyday life and the struggles that she had faced; she was very fortunate to still be a student graduate from Harvard. One of the best universities not just anyone can apply to. Liz Murray came from a place no one could have ever imagined. Liz Murray uses her bad experience from the past as part of her motivation to keep fighting for her future. Although on the On-Course book it also gives suggestions as to what people can do to achiever they personal goals in life for a better future or career for themselves.

Liz Murray was born in Bronx, New York, she was a young girl who was raised with parents who were addicted to drugs. Liz applies for a job at a store at the age of 8 years old to be able to provide a source of food for both herself and her older sister Lisa Murray, due to the fact that there wasn’t any food at home to support them. Peter and Jean Murray parents of Liz Murray would steal her daughter’s birthday money and sell their food stamps in exchange to get money for drugs. Liz saw her mother’s problem and tries to help her by getting a job to be support for their family considering the fact that she is already aware with who she grew up with. This is also considered a Creator Mindset which is seeking solutions, taking action, and trying something new as we learned in page 45 of the On Course book. However she had a choice of blaming her parents for not being able to support her or provide her with food until she was stable enough to become independent on her own. Therefore, Liz chooses to take action.

There was a part in Liz’s life where she tried setting her feelings aside and remained strong after the misery she had to live through her teenage years. For example, when she found out her mother had passed away from aids everything had changed. Her life was different and must have been painful to hear what her mother had suffered. Liz had become homeless because her father lost the house. As a teenager being in the same circumstance as Liz left broke without money could have been a very emotional stage. However she never gave up which brings us back to the similarities which compares Liz and the On Course book. In her emotional stage we might have thought her self-esteem decreased but it only accepted her personal weakness along with her strengths just as in chapter one of the On Course book. This could result in two different choices as well as two different outcomes. Liz could have chosen to be homeless but her next step was going back to school since she had dropped out. Liz chooses to go back to school because she thinks it will be better for her life. Also, because she wants to receive a much higher education.

Liz was then willing to go back to high school, in order for her to do that she needed to be economically stable living in a home with an adult. Liz tried getting into many schools in which essentially she had applied to her first school but she got rejected. That did not stop Liz from giving up. Liz did everything she did and tried another school which then her father joined in order to prove they were a stable family. Soon enough she got an acceptance letter. Liz took 10 courses in order for her to graduate high school in two years. As we read in the On Course book there is a subject called The Core Learning System which means collect, Organize, rehearse, and evaluate. Liz uses these methods gathering information and studied really hard to be able to graduate on time. She later entered a scholarship for Harvard and she was elected to be one of the students who won the scholarship for Harvard. Liz must have been proud of the many accomplishments she had made within two years that she was studying at Harvard, University.

In conclusion the On Course book as well as Liz’s Murray’s life teaches us about their own experiences in which we can lean from. The On Course book and Liz’s Murray’s have many similarities, the book itself has many ways of seeing life different and making not only students but people to have a different mind-set and find solutions to their problems if they are trapped. Liz however is almost similar to the book itself because she was able to accomplish many goals in her life in which she must have doubted and thought she was not going to make it through. Liz did not have her parents support nor her surrounds were any good at all. But as Liz overcame her obstacles as well as struggles in life that is what helped her keep going in her life. The book as well as Liz give us a great message. That message is anyone is capable of being successful in life, all you need is motivation. There is no excuse for someone to not be able to achieve their goals. If you try your best and never give up you will see good results that will help you do better. School should be everyone’s first priority because it provides you with an education.