Homeless, abandoned teen bound for H

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
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<p>Inspiration for all:</p>

<p>LAWNDALE, NC (WBTV) - 18 year old Dawn Loggins has an amazing story to tell. She has been homeless, abandoned by her parents, and called a high school dropout.</p>

<p>But she didn't let those challenges stop her from living her dream of one day attending an Ivy League University.</p>

<p>She was accepted to Harvard University. She said her motivation came from her experiences.</p>

<p>"When I was younger," Loggins said. "I looked around at my family and I saw the neglect, the drug abuse, the bad choices and I saw my family living from paycheck to paycheck, and I just made a decision that I was not going to end up like my parents. I wasn't going to end up having to decide should I buy food this month or should I pay my rent."</p>

<p>The graduating senior's struggles started when she was forced to live with her grandmother. Her parents abandoned her.</p>

<p>"When I lived with my grandma," the senior said. "There was trash all over the house. She never really explained to me like that it was important to shower - it was important to take care of yourself, so I would go months at a time without showering. I would wear the same dress to school for months at a time."</p>

<p>During that period, she says that's when the teasing and bullying started at school.</p>

<p>"They would say you are pretty, pretty ugly," Loggins said. "It actually got so bad at a point in middle school, I would go home everyday and just cry."</p>

<p>At 13 Loggins' mother and step-father came and she lived with them. Things didn't get better. </p>

<p>"We were evicted several times," the senior said. "I went to three different middle schools, three different high schools."</p>

<p>The graduating senior said when she and her family did have a place to stay, it was still rough.</p>

<p>"There would be times we went without power or water for months at a time," Loggins said. "I remember doing my homework by candlelight cause I am that determined to succeed."</p>

<p>And she did succeed. She gasped when she opened her acceptance letter from Harvard.</p>

<p>"I was proud of myself," the student said. "Because not only was I able to get into Harvard, but I was able to distinguish myself from the other 36,000 other applicants."</p>

<p>When Loggins enrolled into Burns High School as a 10th grader, she was considered a high school drop out. She had missed two months of school. She says she took online classes so she could catch up in her work. Now she is taking AP and Honor classes.</p>

<p>"If there is anybody at all who has a dream," Loggins said. "Then they can definitely make it happen. There are no excuses. It depends on you and no one else."</p>

<p>Loggins wants to major in Biology.</p>

<p>"I want to help with new discoveries," Loggins said. "And I want to help make the world a better place."</p>

<p>The student is now on her own. She makes a living as a custodian at Burns High school. </p>

<p>Harvard is giving her some scholarship money - to get the rest of the money she will have to work for. She says the community has helped her get this far and is grateful for all they have done.</p>

<p>"There is always help for those who ask for it," Loggins said. "There is always help for people who need it. The generosity of this community is amazing."</p>

<p>Anyone who wants to donate to the fund established for Dawn Loggins at Burns High School may do so at this address:</p>

<p>Burns High School/Dawn Loggins Fund</p>

<p>307 East Stagecoach Trail</p>

<p>Lawndale, NC 28090</p>

<p>Make checks payable to "Burns High School/Dawn Loggins Fund"</p>

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<p>Great story–thanks for sharing. I’m surprised that Harvard is only paying for “some” of her tuition given her background.</p>

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<p>Great story. </p>

<p>While I think that there woud be no expected parental contribution, she would still be expected to work during the year and make a summer contribution like everyone else on financial aid. (still the fund seems like a good idea as she’ll likely need extra help - computer, clothes etc.)</p>

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<p>Different article, same student. I think the initial article is misrepresenting the financial aid thing. She’s on a full-ride, but that does entail having a job on campus.</p>

<p>

[Dawn</a> Loggins, Student, Heading To Harvard After Being Homeless, Abandoned By Parents (VIDEO)](<a href=“HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News | HuffPost”>Dawn Loggins, Student, Heading To Harvard After Being Homeless, Abandoned By Parents (VIDEO) | HuffPost Latest News)</p>

<p>I hope she finds the transition not too difficult! I’m unlikely to meet her, but I will be very happy if I do.</p>

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<p>Yeah, I found the scholarship thing weird. Ivy schools give full rides to people that come from low income family and in her case, little income.</p>

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<p>A really poor student will need some extra money even with a full-ride aid package. The dorm will be closed during holidays. So she will need to find accomodations or money to travel back home. The non-tuition part of the aid are taxible so she may also be liable for both state and federal income taxes.</p>

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<p>Amazing story and an inspiration. Wish her the best!</p>

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<p>Reminds me of Liz Murray.</p>

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<p>Sounds like an adcom hard luck dream. Does she have the scores?</p>

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<p>Reinforces the fundamental principle of college admissions to great schools: have respectable (not spectacular) grades/SATs, but BE INTERESTING!!! The Ivies have lots of room for interesting people; they have little room for SAT 2400 Korean violinists. Just craft an interesting story that holds an adcom’s attention for more than a minute and you go into the right pile. No grandfather essays, no community service, no key club treasurer stuff. Application killers. Just be interesting.</p>

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<p>Well, it’s hard to be <em>that</em> interesting for most kids who are thinking of applying to the Ivy league.</p>

<p>I’m a bit cynical. I think admissions officers at super elite colleges love these stories to the extent that they are placed on another plane entirely. You can’t buy this kind of publicity. Interesting that the young woman mentioned above, Liz Murray, was overwhelmed at Harvard and ended up transferring.</p>

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<p>Adcoms are human. They plain get sick of reading the same basic essays all over again and the similar life stories that all revolve around high school “service,” clubs and sports. High schools, who absolutely need kids involved in their service, clubs and sports, are not about to tell their kids to go off and do what their heart desires. They imply that the hurdle is too high and, of course, you have all the Tiger Moms dead set on gaming the system that exists. “Exists” is the operative word here. The only way to defeat the Tiger Mom and win the game is not to play. Simply don’t get on the treadmill of useless piano lessons, etc. etc.</p>

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<p>Not sure how true this is, but I heard she had a 2100 SAT, about 2 AP’s and minimal EC’s. Good job to Harvard for finally doing socio-economic affirmative action instead of purely race based, hopefully I’ll see more of this.</p>

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<p>^ Seriously, you won’t, unless it makes for a killer headline like this one.</p>

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<p>Wow. Breathtaking story.</p>

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<p>I doubt Harvard is looking for interesting people. They are looking for the best people. If they are looking for interesting people than Harvard will be filled with middle east and african refugees, each with 100x more miserable life than that homeless girl.</p>

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<p>@Snowdog She ended up transferring to Columbia, still a school with a wonderful reputation. I also read it was to take care of her father who was sick.</p>

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<p>According to its Dean of Admissions, Harvard is specifically looking to tap potential world-class talent that arises from locations and situations which in previous generations, H would have missed. Today, the campus has many students who would fit that description.</p>

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<p>She actually transfered to Sarah Lawrence. The college with the dubious honor of being “the most expensive college in America”.</p>

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<p>@gadad, you and I both know that our world class kids with 2100 SATs and two or three APs haven’t got a shot in h-e-double-hockey-sticks of being admitted to Harvard. Anyone who thinks that is true is wasting the application fee. Unless you’ve got the kind of story that make adcoms wet their diapers.</p>