🎥 Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story (2003)

Twilight Express

This is the inspiring true story about a young girl, Liz Murray, who despite being homeless at 15 and dealing with personal tragedy manages to finish high-school and accepted to Harvard.  🎥 Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story (2003)   #fblifestyle #movierecap

Transcript

00:00This girl lay across her mother's coffin, feeling the closest she'd ever be to her again.

00:04She didn't move until the workers told her to leave, and even then, she turned back three times before walking away.

00:10This was a public cemetery for the poor.

00:12Once the dirt was filled in, the grave would be gone in a few days.

00:16No headstone, no name, and she'd never find it again.

00:19After losing her mother, Liz realized that if she kept drifting through life, things would only get worse.

00:24She knew she'd end up just like her mom, and that wasn't the life she wanted.

00:28She had to change.

00:29For a 16-year-old girl, there was only one path to change her destiny.

00:33Go back to school.

00:34With a neighbor's help, she got a chance to enroll at a private high school.

00:37But not knowing how to use the subway, she was late on her first day.

00:41By the time she arrived, registration was already closed.

00:43Still, Liz didn't give up.

00:45She insisted on getting a form and wrote a heartfelt application letter.

00:48She waited outside for hours until the principal finally showed up.

00:52Liz rushed to him and begged for just 30 seconds of his time.

00:55The principal agreed.

00:56Inside his office, Liz began telling her story.

00:58She spoke of a childhood broken by chaos and pain.

01:02She said,

01:02I just need one chance to climb out of the place I was born into.

01:06I'm smart.

01:07I know I can succeed.

01:08I just, I just need the chance.

01:10I need the chance to climb out of this place that I've been born in.

01:15I mean, everyone I know, they're just angry and tired.

01:21They're trying to survive.

01:22But I know that there's a world out there that's better, that's better developed, and I want to live in it.

01:34Maybe the principal was moved by her courage because he decided to give her a spot.

01:38But school policy required a guardian signature before she could officially enroll.

01:42So Liz had no choice but to track down her father at a homeless shelter.

01:45After years apart, there were no hugs, no anger, just awkward silence as they signed the papers.

01:51When they were done, her father tried to give her a few dollars, but his pockets were empty.

01:55Liz smiled and said,

01:56It's okay, don't worry about me.

01:57I've got a job now.

01:58I can take care of myself.

02:00Seeing how hard she'd fought for her future, her father's eyes filled with guilt.

02:04He apologized again and again, but Liz held no resentment.

02:08I love you, Dad.

02:09Don't love me.

02:11It's a waste of energy.

02:13You know, when I was little, you were the most interesting thing in my world.

02:21Everyone was just talking about sex or, you know, just trying to survive the day.

02:30But you always had ideas.

02:31Because of you, I know that there's another way of being.

02:41That broke him.

02:42He stepped forward and hugged her tightly.

02:44Before leaving, he whispered something to her.

02:46Stay in school.

02:48I blew this.

02:51But you can do this.

02:55As she watched him walk away, Liz's tears finally fell.

02:59When school started, she realized she was two full years behind.

03:03To catch up, she had to study twice as hard as anyone else.

03:06When everyone else went home, she stayed behind in the empty classroom.

03:10Her teacher told her not to push herself so hard.

03:12But Liz couldn't waste a second.

03:14She studied on the bus to work, taped notes over the sink while washing dishes,

03:18and slept on the subway at night.

03:19She figured it out.

03:20One ride was 70 minutes.

03:22Four rides meant nearly five hours of sleep.

03:24Just enough to make it to school when it opened.

03:26It was exhausting.

03:27But it gave her structure, and structure gave her peace.

03:30One day, the principal announced that the top 10 students would visit Harvard.

03:34By then, Liz had climbed to the number one spot.

03:36For the first time in her life, she walked across the campus of Harvard University.

03:41Seeing the majestic buildings and the confident students walking by,

03:44Liz felt something powerful.

03:46A longing to belong in that world.

03:48But tuition was a mountain she couldn't climb.

03:50Determined, she started searching for scholarships.

03:53Finally, she found one.

03:54A special award from the New York Times.

03:56It offered $12,000 a year for four years.

04:00More than 3,000 people applied, but only six would be chosen.

04:03That year's prompt was,

04:05Write about the most important lesson you've learned,

04:07and how you overcame life's biggest obstacles.

04:10Liz rewrote her essay again and again for four long months.

04:13On her 18th birthday, she finally submitted it, just minutes before the deadline.

04:18To her, this essay wasn't just an application.

04:21It was a gift to herself.

04:22A celebration of how far she'd come.

04:24She thanked the version of herself who never gave up.

04:27Who kept walking in the right direction, no matter how dark it got.

04:30When graduation came around, her essay caught the judge's attention.

04:33On interview day, Liz borrowed her sister's coat to make a good impression.

04:36During the interview, she told her story with honesty and calm.

04:39She spoke of begging, of sleeping in stations, of loss, not with bitterness,

04:44but with acceptance and strength.

04:46Few could imagine how much pain and work lay behind that calm voice.

04:50She was still hungry some nights, still slept on the streets,

04:53but none of it stopped her.

04:55Because Liz wasn't just surviving, she was saving herself.

04:58At the end of the interview, the judge stood up, walked over,

05:01and gave her a long, warm hug.

05:02She'd made it.

05:03This movie is based on a true story.

05:05Liz graduated at the top of her class and was accepted into Harvard University.

05:08She received the New York Times Scholarship, $12,000 a year for four years,

05:13and started a brand new life.

05:15When asked by a reporter how she managed to succeed,

05:17Liz simply smiled and said, how could I not?

05:20She'd eaten leftovers from garbage bins, slept in freezing subways,

05:24and fought every single day to rise above the bottom.

05:26A person who never stopped striving for a better life.

05:29How could she possibly fail?

05:31After her story spread, donations poured in.

05:33People raised over $200,000 to help her complete her education.

05:37Today, Liz has earned her master's degree

05:39and is pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology at Harvard.

05:43Through her journey, she's proven that life can be changed

05:45with effort, with persistence, and with hope that never dies.

05:49Even in despair, you can still rise and live for something brighter.

05:52This much better.

06:13Take care.

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