Homeless Teenager Graduates High School As Valedictorian

Nov 03, 2021 by apost team

Being crowned as your school’s valedictorian is a huge accomplishment for any student. This is the student that really invested all of his or her time and energy into their studies, making sure to go above and beyond expectations and truly get the most out of their high school experience. Receiving the title of valedictorian is incredibly validating yet humbling and means a lot to the student who is honored with this achievement. This milestone meant everything to a high school senior from Jacksonville, Florida when he was crowned as his school’s valedictorian in 2020.

Martin Folsom was announced as the class valedictorian of A. Philip Randolph Career Academy, an achievement that certainly did not come without any hurdles or hardships. Folsom and his mother struggled with being homeless for the majority of Folsom’s childhood, as well as the four years he was in high school. Despite this, he continued to pursue his dreams and worked hard to make a better life for himself and his family.

With his mom by his side, Folsom pushed through any challenges that came his way and worked diligently to become the top student in his graduating class. The teenager was extremely grateful for everyone who helped him along the way and just wanted to reach a high level of success to hopefully one day pay them all back for the time and effort they had invested in him.

With high school now behind him, Folsom has a lot to look forward to in the future. Read on to find out more about this inspiring and motivated student.

According to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, an estimated 27,487 people experienced homelessness on any given day in Florida during 2020. In the same year, about 91,000 students experienced homelessness. One of those students was Folsom. Both he and his mother had been homeless during much of his childhood, including the four years Folsom was in high school, according to FOX 6.

“It’s been a rocky road, been a lot of hardships, but seeing myself here right now, about to graduate and go to college, it feels good knowing that all the stuff I’ve done, it was worth it,” Folsom explained. 

Through every up and down he has encountered along the way, the teenager knew that he had his mother right by his side to give him all the support he needed. Folsom said, “She has been the person that, whenever I did end up getting upset or whenever I needed somebody to laugh with her talk to, she was always there, she was always encouraging me.”

Speaking with Duval County Public Schools, Folsom reflected on what it was like living in a homeless shelter. He remembered all of the people who had helped him and his mother and had supported his personal journey. 

It seemed like everyone’s time, effort, and dedication toward helping the bright student paid off. Folsom served as the class president for his grade for four years straight, according to FOX 6. He described the achievement as something he was extremely proud of.

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After years of hard work and dedication toward mastering his studies, Folsom was declared the class valedictorian of A. Philip Career Academy in Jacksonville. “It means a lot and it gives me a sense of all I’ve done and all I have accomplished was worth it,” he said. Folsom was set to walk across the stage in May 2020 for graduation, but it was unfortunately canceled due to the pandemic.

Still, he has a lot to look forward to as he works toward accomplishing even more goals in the future. According to Duval County Public Schools, Folsom’s plans for the following school year included heading off to college at Valdosta State University in Georgia. He has his sights set on studying accounting and finance. 

“As far as I know I’m the first person in my family to actually get a college degree,” he said. His dreams don’t end there, though, as the bright student hopes to one day work for the FBI, as per FOX 6. 

Folsom has been through a lot in his life, and he offered up some advice to his fellow classmates and other students. He said:

“One of my main advice to give to all my fellow students is to be moving our lives, take advantage of any opportunity you can because you never know where it’s going to lead you to or what you can end up getting out of it.”

We wish Folsom all the best as he works toward reaching all of his future goals!

What do you think about this student overcoming many obstacles to become his high school class valedictorian? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your family members and friends, too.