Homeless to Harvard

This is a true story of Elizabeth Murray who was born in September 23, 1980. In the movie she simply told her teacher to call her “Liz”. Knowing the teacher’s confusion, she explained that her mother called her “Elizabeth” only when her mother was angry with her. That moment I knew I was shocked by her deep love to her mother, because you may not know her mother, but I know.

The movie begins with Liz’s sister’s fierce fighting with her seemingly crazy mother, while all of their father’s attention was paid on TV and let the mother and daughter alone. Her mother fought for the money hidden by her two daughters to buy drugs. The mother wouldn’t care her two daughters had no money for meals, and Liz usually had to find food from the dustbin, but she still loved her mother and take care of her.

Before her mother died of AIDS, Liz had already become homeless and wandered around in the street every day. However, after her mother’s death, she was still homeless, but she knew what she wanted. She said that her parents’ life let her know that one can choose his or her life and that she wanted to struggle to see what life would be for her. She realized that she must get far away from the life she lived now, so she went back to school and finished the four-year senior high school in two years and got a New York Times scholarship which allowed her to go to Harvard University. That’s the end of the movie but far from the end of her life.

I got the new from the Internet that she left Harvard to care for her sick father, who was also addicted to drugs, and returned to Harvard in 2008 and graduated in 2009. Now she is working for doctorate in clinical psychology to counsel people from all walks of life.

I strongly invite you to see this movie. I am sure you will learn a lot from her.