Khadijah Williams was born to a single mother in a poor neighborhood of New York City. She grew up moving between homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and the streets with her mom.
Using the streets as her study space, she read five books a month and carefully read every newspaper published in New York. She dreamed of going to college.
Even when people laughed at her, saying, “What kind of college accepts a homeless girl?” Khadijah never stopped chasing her dream. Because her family had no stable place to live, she had to move more than ten times during her school years. In her final year, she would wake up at 4 a.m. and wouldn’t return home until 11 p.m., but she remained committed to her education. She always made sure to keep herself neat and well-groomed, believing that being poor and homeless should never be used as an excuse to give up on one’s dreams. In the end, Khadijah received acceptance letters from over 20 universities across the United States, and proudly enrolled at Harvard University on a full four-year scholarship.