Homeless Teen Could Win $100.000 Scholarship

Yahoo News ^ | 1/12/12 | Enjoli Francis

[takbodan]

Samantha Garvey is one teenage girl who would rather read something called The Journal of Shellfish Research than Glamour magazine.

"What I'm doing is the American dream," she says.

The 17-year-old high school senior maintains a 3.9 grade point average at her Brentwood, N.Y., high school, studies Italian and plays the violin. She also has an unusual interest that has recently caught some attention: On Wednesday she was named one of 61 Long Island semifinalists in the national Intel Science Talent Search because of her work studying the effects of predators on ribbed mussels.

"I get so excited to tell people about my mussels and crabs that I become a completely different person," she said.

There's another reason why Garvey and her family are so excited about her nomination. The teen, along with her parents and her 13-year-old siblings, are now living in a homeless shelter. The top prize for the award is a life-changing $100,000.

[takbodan]

Her positive attitude and perseverance will take her far.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Misfortunes don’t just happen to bums.

[iowamark]

Garvey and her family have lived in shelters and hotels since she was a little girl. Seven years ago, they were able to move into a house, but in February 2010, her parents were involved in a car accident. They were forced to leave.

Makes you wonder what the story is.

[Cowboy Bob]

$100,000 is a lot of money, but its only a scholarship. It will cover about 2 years at a “good” university. What about the last 2 years? And, unfortunately, her family won’t be able to live in the dorm with her. ..

[rawhide]

[1776 Reborn]

Short of losing a leg or coming down with cancer I don’t know how any other kid is going to win against her and the press coverage. ;-)

[momtothree]

The article quotes the young lady, “I want to do better for myself. I want a better life”.

Kudos to her and I hope she gets the scholarship. Living in a homeless shelter and maintaining a 3.9 G.P.A. wasn’t easy. How many times do we read about some teen that robs a liquor store, shoots someone etc.. and then their behavior is blamed on poverty. Despite her family/economic situation, she persevered and rose above it. Good for her. IMHO.

[reformedliberal]

I agree.

We do not get to choose our parents or their circumstances. Likewise, no parent can really choose beforehand between the extremes of a disabled child and an extremely talented one. All sorts of terrible things can happen to anyone, any family, at any time.

Somehow, this girl acquired a work ethic. Luckily, she was born with the right gene assortment for high intelligence. I wonder how she gravitated to an interest in predatory shellfish? Maybe she was also lucky enough to have had a decent teacher.

Luck works both ways.