At the dawn of being homeless, one Florida teen has pitched himself as a success by serving as class president throughout his high school and graduating as the valedictorian
“It’s been a rocky road, a lot of hardships,” Martin Folsom, a student at A. Philip Randolph Career Academies in Jacksonville, said in a video posted online by Duval County Public Schools. “But seeing myself now about to graduate, about to go to college – it feels good knowing all the stuff I’ve done was worth it.”
Speaking about his achievement, Folsom indicated that he has had the passion to excel regardless of all the hurdles and he is excited to realize that all the efforts he made were worth it.
In the video, watched thousands of times since it posted two weeks ago, Folsom showed gratitude to people who helped him and his mother in their battle with homelessness since 2012.
Eight years after he went to his first homeless shelter, learning that he would graduate at the top of his class “gave me a jolt in my chest,” Folsom told Action News Jax.
However, the black teen is planning to attend Valdosta State University in Georgia this fall, and hopes to work for the FBI after college.
