18-year-old homeless girl bags degree in Law from Georgetown university, wins best student award

Rashema Melson, an extraordinary 18-year-old girl who struggled with homeless while in school, has been named the top student at Anacostia High School in Washington, D.C., in the United States.

Throughout her six years of high school, Rashema Melson, her mother, and her two brothers resided in the D.C. General homeless shelter.

She described how she made an effort to avoid the shelter house as much as she could while attending high school.

“I make an effort to stay out as late as I can. She said, “I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite spot.

Rashema explained how being homeless had a negative impact on her academic performance because of the loudness and protracted security checks in the shelter.

She often wakes up in the middle of the night just to do her homework in peace.

She added that she didn’t keep her homelessness a secret from classmates – but did not offer the information either.

I don’t like sharing with kids because they start to pity you or they start to look at you in a different way.

And I feel like, ‘Hey, I’m just like the rest of you. I come in to get an education,” she said.

Rashema Melson scored an outstanding 4.0 GPA to emerge the valedictorian of Anacostia High School in Washington D.C.

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“I just know when I have a goal, I try not to let anything get in the way,” she said about her grade.

After her graduation from High School, Melson was awarded a full scholarship to earn a Bachelor’s degree in justice and peace studies at Georgetown University in Washington DC.

Five years after enrolling at Georgetown University in Washington D.C, Rashema Melson graduated with a Bachelor’s degree and plans to return to her community to work for a few years before attending law school.

I don’t want to just be someone who makes a lot of money and donates. I want to get in there and actually do something.

I want to mentor. I want to change laws. I want to do something that’s really going to make an impact,”.