LIFE

Homeless science whiz Samantha Garvey scores $50,000 scholarship

You’re balancing books, boys and b-ball practice and you think you’ve got it tough? Wait ‘til you hear 18-year-old Samantha Garvey’s story. The Brentwood, N.Y., bio whiz found out a few weeks ago that she’s a semi-finalist for one of the most prestigious science contests in the world, sponsored by Intel. There are 300 semifinalists, but what makes Samantha’s story stand out is that she made it to the next round…and right now, she and her family are homeless.

 

On New Year’s Eve, Samantha’s family moved into a Long Island homeless shelter because her family couldn’t keep up with rent following her mother’s car accident and the health care bills she incurred.

 

When the family’s plight came to light last week, Samantha garnered quite a bit of media attention. Her county is getting ready to move the family into subsidized housing. Her congressman has invited her to attend the State of the Union Address this coming Tuesday. And she received an invitation to appear on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where she was awarded a whopping $50,000 scholarship on behalf of AT&T.

 

The aspiring marine biologist dreams of attending Brown or Yale, but before she gets letters from the Ivy League, she’s gonna hear from Intel; Samantha will discover if the project she’s been working on for two years has made her one of 40 finalists for the $100,000 grand prize.

 

Are you inspired yet? We thought so! Watch the clip below from The Ellen DeGeneres Show and see this well-spoken high school student in action…

 


 

Photo credit: Chris Ware, Newsday.com 

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by Brittany Taylor | 2/1/2016
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