Homeless Teen Receives Life-Changing Surprise After Graduation

Feb 28, 2018 by apost team

Liyjon DeSilva from Houston, Texas has been living on the streets for three years, but this hasn't stopped him from excelling at school. Homelessness is a hardship that many people struggle to escape, especially at such a young age. 

"I love sleeping on parking lots because I can see the stars. [sic]"
 

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DeSilva has not had an easy start in life, but he keeps a positive attitude about his situation. His mother passed away when he was only 5-years-old and bounced from relative to relative before ultimately toughing it out on his own. Despite living on the streets, DeSilva still made sure he made it to class every day and recently graduated from Lee High School with a 3.6 GPA and several college acceptance letters. 

"What else am I supposed to do? It was either be that or a low life, I could have thrown everything away," DeSilva said in an interview with KTLA. "I have a chance, why not just keep going?"

The school eventually realized DeSilva was living on the streets when a counselor found him sleeping in a park. The principal immediately put the homeless student in a hotel room until they found a proper place for him to live. 

Now that DeSilva was off the streets, he could focus on his studies better than before. He ended up graduating at the top of his class and received a full scholarship to Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. 

The scholarship wasn't enough to cover his school expenses, so a crowdfunding campaign was set up to help him raise money for a laptop, warm clothes, and an airline ticket to get him to school. Over $12,000 was raised, and DeSilva is absolutely set for his next adventure! 

Watch the video below to hear more about this amazing student's journey:

How inspirational! 

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