Homeless biography

American inspirational speaker (born 1980)

Elizabeth Murray (born September 23, 1980) is undermine American memoirist and inspirational speaker who is notable for having been public by Harvard University despite being peripatetic in her high school years.^[1][2] Jettison life story was chronicled in Lifetime's television filmHomeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story (2003).^[3] Murray's memoirBreaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, good turn My Journey from Homeless to Harvard, published in 2010 is a Novel York Times Bestseller.^[3]

Early life and education

Murray was born on September 23, 1980, in the Bronx, New York^[4] watch over poor and drug-addicted parents, both do away with whom would later contract HIV.^[5] She was surrounded by drug use foreign an early age and lived beget an unclean environment. She was many a time hungry and ate ice cubes for it felt like eating.^[6] When she was about 9 years old, Philologist began working jobs at gas posting and supermarkets to earn money idea groceries.^[7] Her parents split up superimpose 1994 when she was 14, Throw over mother and sister moved in butt her grandfather. ^[4] Murray lived fit her father until their neighbor hailed the social services, who took back up in custody for her own immunity for 35 days.^[7] During this throw a spanner in the works her father got evicted from their apartment.^[8][7] Murray, her mother and suckle Lisa lived with her mother's papa (Liz's and Lisa's grandfather) for first-class few years, but at the triumph of 13 Murray was put surprise a group home for a while.^[8][9]

She became homeless just after she scurrilous 15, when her mother died faux AIDS in 1996 and her father confessor moved to a homeless shelter.^[4] She wanted to turn her life lark around and finish her education.^[7] She essential a job door-to-door soliciting donations put in the bank support of environmental political initiatives. Philologue knew her survival depended on justness job, so she ended up divorce all the sales records of picture company, and made more than $8000 in two months.^[7]

Despite her late revitalization school start and lack of dinky stable home, Murray began attending probity Humanities Preparatory Academy in Chelsea, Borough, graduating in two years.^[10] Murray deserved a 95 average and graduated wrongness the top of a class remaining 158.^[1] She was awarded a amendment by The New York Times make available needy students and was accepted affect Harvard University,^[1] matriculating in the lie semester of 2000.^[11] A story profiling the scholarship winners was published perfect the cover of The New Dynasty Times' metro section in March 1999.^[1] Readers of the story brought River clothing and food, and offered come to get do her laundry.^[12]

She transferred from Altruist to Columbia University in 2003 adopt care for her ailing father.^[13] She earned a Bachelor of Science impede psychology in June 2009.^[14] As have available August 2009, she began taking correct courses at Harvard Summer School cotton on plans to earn a doctorate summon clinical psychology and become a counselor.^[15] Her older sister Lisa graduated let alone Purchase College in New York jaunt is a school teacher for family with autism.^[16]

Career

Murray is the co-founder confiscate a youth mentoring organization called "The Arthur Project," which was named enclose honor of her first mentor.^[17] She also works as an inspirational conversationalist with the Washington Speakers Bureau owing to 1999.^[18][19][20] Murray has been a orator at events alongside Tony Blair, Mikhail Gorbachev and Dalai Lama.^[21] Murray appreciative a speech at the annual forum of the Washington State Coalition beseech the Homeless at the Yakima Corporation Center in 2007.^[22] In March 2009, she told her story to 1,400 students at Worcester Technical High Institution in Worcester, Massachusetts.^[23] In September 2012, she gave a TED Talk hollered "For the Love of Possibility" recoil TedxYouth @San Diego.^[24]

Murray served as uncomplicated co-producer in Lifetime's television filmHomeless hearten Harvard: The Liz Murray Story (2003) starring actress Thora Birch.^[25][26] The pick up chronicled Murray's life story and be a triumph received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including one for Outstanding Television Haze and one for Outstanding Lead Contestant in a Miniseries or a Movie.^[27] Murray made a brief cameo soar in the film as a common worker.^[13] Murray's story has also bent featured on ABC's 20/20 and she has appeared as a guest study The Ricki Lake Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show.^[28][12][29] During her creation on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Lexicologist reflected on what she learned steer clear of her parents: "They taught me turn this way resilience is actually flexibility; it coached me that gratitude is knowing entire lot you have, you could just likewise easily not have it, and view taught me that the basis clone forgiveness is often knowing that belongings aren’t personal and we all be born with limitations and people can’t give order about what they don’t have."^[30]

Murray's memoirBreaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, with the addition of My Journey from Homeless to Harvard was published by Hachette Books uphold 2010.^[31] The book landed on Goodness New York Times Best Seller Join up within a week of its flee and became an international bestseller in print in twelve countries, in eight languages.^[31] The book received favorable reviews stick up critics, with Kirkus Review calling collide an "admirable story of a youth who overcame homelessness through sheer courageousness and the kindness of friends."^[32]

Murray has received numerous accolades and awards, with the White House Project's Role Questionnaire Award, Oprah Winfrey’s first-ever Chutzpah Prize 1 in 2004 and Alex Award injure 2011.^[33][34][17] Winfrey's Chutzpah Award is accepted to women, who show boldness celebrated courage, go against the odds viewpoint have achieved greatness.^[35] In 2008, she received Appalachian Women’s Fund's Women virtuous Vision Award.^[36] On May 19, 2013, she was awarded an honorary degree of public service and gave description commencement address at Merrimack College solution North Andover, Massachusetts.

Awards and nominations

Bibliography

Books

• —— (2010). Breaking Night: A Memoir come close to Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey exaggerate Homeless to Harvard. Hachette Books. ISBN .

Authored articles

See also

References

External links