Press "Enter" to skip to content

Posts tagged as “D.C. homeless shelter”

Homeless Teen Destyni Tyree is Voted Prom Queen, Cheerleading Captain Earns 4.0 GPA and Full College Scholarship

By goodblacknews on June 24, 2016
Destiny Tyree (photo via bet.com)

article by Evelyn Diaz via bet.com

Talk about Black Girls Rock.

Destyni Tyree was living in a homeless shelter in Washington, D.C., when the 14-year-old girl enrolled in Roosevelt S.T.A.Y. High School. Two years later, she graduated with a 4.0 GPA, was appointed captain of the school’s cheerleading squad and voted prom queen — all while working a 25-hour per week job.
What’s more, she has secured a full scholarship to Potomac State College of West Virginia University and will continue her education in August. Her next stop after college is surely world domination.
The principal of Roosevelt S.T.A.Y., Eugenia Young, told ABC that Tyre is “a joy to be around, she has a good heart.” She continued to call Tyree a “bubbly person” and a “phenomal student.”
For Tyree, the hard life that she grew up in only served as motivation to secure academic success. “Quite frankly, I’m just ready to go and live life,” she said in an interview with ABC. “I know there’s a better life out there for me. It gets better. If you work hard enough, if you have that drive, if you have that motivation, it gets a lot better.” She continued to describe how she was able to achieve so much in such little time, saying, “I just time managed. I just wake up and do what I gotta do.”

Homeless Teen Ramesha Melson Earns Full Scholarship to Georgetown University

By goodblacknews on May 31, 2014

Rashema Melson

Rashema Melson, an Anacostia High School senior and resident of Washington D.C.’s largest homeless shelter, just earned a scholarship to Georgetown University.
“I feel accomplished,” she tells us. “I feel I did something worthy. I feel like I did it. But I’m not done yet.”
What makes Rashema’s story all the more remarkable is when you consider where she comes from. For the past two years, Rashema, her mother and two siblings have been living at the D.C. homeless shelter.
“It’s pushing me to be better, to know what I want in life, and to know this is not what I want, but I have to go through it for the moment,” she said.
RELATED STORIES: 

“She is definitely a success story,” said Dora Taylor, a spokesperson with the D.C. Department of Human Services. “She definitely is.”
The department oversees the shelter.
“As you can see, she has no complaints,” said Taylor. “Nothing depresses her. Seemingly nothing brings her down. And she has the right attitude. You know, she expressed to you that she’s grateful despite her circumstances.” “And she’s determined that she’s going to do you know exactly what she needs to do in life to be self-supportive on her own. So we are extremely proud of Rashema.” “I think the toughest part is just moving around before we got to the shelter,” said Rashema. “Because it’s been going on for six years.”