High school senior Rahsaan King has come a long way since he was first admitted to Chinquapin Preparatory School outside of Houston, TX as a seventh grader. According to The Houston Chronicle, he was kicked out of the non-profit school for low-income students because he cheated twice in his first few months of middle school.
The student reapplied to the private school after realizing he was better off at Chinquapin than at home, and after applying twice, he was admitted for the ninth grade.
“All of the friends I grew up with they are in gangs, they fought a lot, they smoke a lot, and I really didn’t like being in that environment," Rahsaan told KHOU.com.
Watch Rahsaan tell his amazing story in the video above.
Now, Rahsaan is getting ready to attend Harvard in the fall. Among other scholarships, the teen won the prestigious Gates Millennium award, which means he will not have to worry about paying for college. The Houston Chronicle reports that part of his inspiration to attend Harvard came from his admiration for Houston Rockets' basketball player and Harvard grad Jeremy Lin.
Rahsaan is in good company when it comes to inspiring teens heading to top colleges against the odds this month. Last week, senior Chelesa Fearce graduated as valedictorian from Charles Drew High School in Georgia after being homeless for most of her high school career.
“I just told myself to keep working, because the future will not be like this anymore,” Chelesa told WBSTV.com. “You’re worried about your home life and then worried at school. Worry about being a little hungry sometimes, go hungry sometimes. You just have to deal with it."
Like Rahsaan, 18-year-old Lane Gunderman will also be attending university in the fall without having to worry about tuition costs. Even though the teen lived in a number of homeless shelters with his family throughout his schooling, Lane concentrated on his studies and made it to the final round of the Intel Science Talent Search. According to the Chicago Tribune, he will receive a full scholarship to Stanford University.
Do you know anyone with an impressive graduation story? Share it in the comments below or tweet us @HuffPostTeen!
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