Beating the odds
Homeless student on his way to Cornell
May 24, 1996
Web posted at: 11:15 p.m. EDTFrom Correspondent Gary Tuchman
BROOKLYN, New York (CNN) -- Brooklyn is one of New York's toughest neighborhoods. Poverty and a high crime rate challenge even motivated students who hope to thrive at the neighborhood's Thomas Jefferson High School.
But one 17-year-old has done more than thrive, against even tougher obstacles. Camara Barrett, the senior class president and valedictorian, lives in a Brooklyn homeless shelter.
Barrett moved into that shelter after several days of living in the New York subway system, where he spent his days and his nights studying for his SATs. "I was mortified," he said. "I was embarrassed about it, but I knew I didn't have a choice." After repeated altercations with his mother and stepfather, he said, he "didn't have anywhere else to go."
Barrett moved to New York from Jamaica just over two years ago. Since seeking respite from family problems in the youth shelter, he has continued to study hard, and has never failed to exude confidence in his potential.
"The valedictory speech I'm about to present at my graduation I had written about a year and a half ago, before I knew my rank, before I knew my SAT scores, before I knew I would be student body president," he said.
Barrett set his goals high, applying to Ivy League pre-med programs. Cornell University looked at his impressive grades and SAT scores and not only accepted him, but offered him a scholarship as well.
"He's achieving beyond odds that normal people would see as 'this student probably wouldn't make it.' And Camara has decided, 'I'm going to go against those odds,' and he's achieved it," said Gregory Goldsmith, the Cornell University regional recruiting director.
Camara says he hopes to reconcile his differences with his mother at some point, perhaps even before he moves on to the Ivy League. His goals for college are typical of most students: do well in school, and get a great job.
The same pragmatic attitude that helped him excel in high school will go with him into his pre-med studies as well: He'll do his best, he says, and if it's good enough, then he should have a long career at Cornell. (136K AIFF or WAV sound)
One of his post-collegiate goals takes precedence over the others, however. He wants to eventually have a home, and a wife and children who live in it.
Related sites:
FeedbackSend us your comments.Selected responses are posted daily. |
|
![[Imagemap]](/US/images/9601/navbar.gif){kind=small}
Copyright © 1996 Cable News Network, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
