. . . New York City youth, Orayne Williams earns college scholarship!
In less than two weeks, some 50,000 city high school seniors will graduate.
Few of them will have overcome as many obstacles as
Orayne Williams.
Abandoned by his family and living alone in a homeless shelter, the 18-year-old immigrant has not just endured, but excelled.
With a 91 average and three Advanced Placement classes under his belt, he's headed for college with a fat scholarship and big plans.
"I've been through hell," said Williams, a senior at
Bedford Academy in
Bedford-Stuyvesant,
Brooklyn. "School is my way out."
Born into poverty outside
Kingston, Jamaica, Williams grew up with no water or electricity, scrounging food from the street and avoiding gangs.
He was 12 when his mother sent him to
Florida with only the clothes on his back. He was taken in by relatives who he says abused him and dealt drugs.
He found refuge in school, arriving early and staying late.
"It was like my savior," he said. "The only thing I had."
In 2007, Williams was reunited in Brooklyn with his mother and an infant half-sister, who were homeless. The three lived in motels and shelters, sharing one bed.
"It was impossible to focus on school," Williams said. "My mom and I fought like crazy."
In November, Williams' mother kicked him out, and a social worker found him a spot at a shelter for young men in
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where he lives now.
The young man gets up for school at 5:30 a.m. and studies on his bed because there is no desk. He brings to school a bagged lunch made by shelter staff.
He works hard to blend in with the students who have homes and families and support.
"When I tell people I'm homeless, they're surprised," he said. "Most of the kids at my school still don't know."
Cluny Lavache, assistant principal at Bedford Academy, said Williams' positive attitude in the face of adversity has spurred people to help him.
"He touches your heart," she said. "He has a lot of people looking out for him."
Wayne Harris, who works in the
Department of Education's Office for Students in Temporary Housing, is one of those people.
He helped him apply for college and financial aid, and let him use the phones and computers in his office.
This fall, Williams will be a freshman at upstate
Sullivan County Community College, paying for his first year with $15,000 in grants. He hopes to become a doctor.
"I feel blessed," he said. "So many good things are happening to me."
