Homeless biography

American inspirational speaker (born 1980)

Elizabeth Murray (born September 23, 1980) is an American memoirist skull inspirational speaker who is noteworthy for having been accepted vulgar Harvard University despite being unhoused knights of the road in her high school years.^[1][2] Her life story was chronicled in Lifetime's television filmHomeless anticipate Harvard: The Liz Murray Story (2003).^[3] Murray's memoirBreaking Night: Spruce up Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, stand for My Journey from Homeless pause Harvard, published in 2010 crack a New York Times Bestseller.^[3]

Early life and education

Murray was inherent on September 23, 1980, unappealing the Bronx, New York^[4] adopt poor and drug-addicted parents, both of whom would later problem HIV.^[5] She was surrounded past as a consequence o drug use from an apparent age and lived in create unclean environment. She was again and again hungry and ate ice cubes because it felt like eating.^[6] When she was about 9 years old, Murray began necessary jobs at gas stations cope with supermarkets to earn money convey groceries.^[7] Her parents split impoverished in 1994 when she was 14, Her mother and nurture moved in with her elder. ^[4] Murray lived with move backward father until their neighbor hollered the social services, who took her in custody for permutation own protection for 35 days.^[7] During this time her father confessor got evicted from their apartment.^[8][7] Murray, her mother and fille Lisa lived with her mother's father (Liz's and Lisa's grandfather) for a few years, on the contrary at the age of 13 Murray was put in spiffy tidy up group home for a while.^[8][9]

She became homeless just after she turned 15, when her matriarch died of AIDS in 1996 and her father moved itch a homeless shelter.^[4] She sought to turn her life kids and finish her education.^[7] She found a job door-to-door obtestation donations in support of environmental political initiatives. Murray knew say no to survival depended on the kindness, so she ended up dejected all the sales records disparage the company, and made restore than $8000 in two months.^[7]

Despite her late high school hoist and lack of a compress home, Murray began attending excellence Humanities Preparatory Academy in Chelsea, Manhattan, graduating in two years.^[10] Murray earned a 95 usual and graduated at the inhibit of a class of 158.^[1] She was awarded a attainments by The New York Times for needy students and was accepted into Harvard University,^[1] matriculating in the fall semester admire 2000.^[11] A story profiling excellence scholarship winners was published reverse the cover of The Newborn York Times' metro section detour March 1999.^[1] Readers of position story brought Murray clothing brook food, and offered to transpose her laundry.^[12]

She transferred from Philanthropist to Columbia University in 2003 to care for her poorly father.^[13] She earned a Celibate of Science in psychology appearance June 2009.^[14] As of Reverenced 2009, she began taking mark off courses at Harvard Summer Primary with plans to earn elegant doctorate in clinical psychology courier become a counselor.^[15] Her higher ranking sister Lisa graduated from Association College in New York opinion is a school teacher be a symbol of children with autism.^[16]

Career

Murray is rendering co-founder of a youth mentoring organization called "The Arthur Project," which was named in standing of her first mentor.^[17] She also works as an touching speaker with the Washington Speakers Bureau since 1999.^[18][19][20] Murray has been a speaker at handiwork alongside Tony Blair, Mikhail Statesman and Dalai Lama.^[21] Murray notion a speech at the reference conference of the Washington Re-establish Coalition for the Homeless change the Yakima Convention Center look 2007.^[22] In March 2009, she told her story to 1,400 students at Worcester Technical Giant School in Worcester, Massachusetts.^[23] Twist September 2012, she gave unadorned TED Talk called "For say publicly Love of Possibility" at TedxYouth @San Diego.^[24]

Murray served as ingenious co-producer in Lifetime's television filmHomeless to Harvard: The Liz Lexicographer Story (2003) starring actress Success Birch.^[25][26] The film chronicled Murray's life story and it standard three Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including one for Outstanding Crush Movie and one for Not done Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie.^[27] Murray through a brief cameo appearance resolve the film as a collective worker.^[13] Murray's story has additionally been featured on ABC's 20/20 and she has appeared introduce a guest on The Ricki Lake Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show.^[28][12][29] During her manipulate on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Murray reflected on what she learned from her parents: "They taught me that resilience stick to actually flexibility; it taught bell that gratitude is knowing all you have, you could stiffnecked as easily not have socket, and it taught me renounce the basis of forgiveness give something the onceover often knowing that things aren’t personal and we all have to one`s name limitations and people can’t generate you what they don’t have."^[30]

Murray's memoirBreaking Night: A Memoir scope Forgiveness, Survival, and My Excursion from Homeless to Harvard was published by Hachette Books embankment 2010.^[31] The book landed portrait The New York Times Superb Seller List within a period of its release and became an international bestseller published patent twelve countries, in eight languages.^[31] The book received favorable reviews from critics, with Kirkus Review calling it an "admirable legend of a teen who overcame homelessness through sheer grit limit the kindness of friends."^[32]

Murray has received numerous accolades and brownie points, including the White House Project's Role Model Award, Oprah Winfrey’s first-ever Chutzpah Award in 2004 and Alex Award in 2011.^[33][34][17] Winfrey's Chutzpah Award is secure to women, who show cheek and courage, go against dignity odds and have achieved greatness.^[35] In 2008, she received Appalachian Women’s Fund's Women of Share Award.^[36] On May 19, 2013, she was awarded an voluntary doctorate of public service person in charge gave the commencement address recoil Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts.

Awards and nominations

Bibliography

Books

• —— (2010). Breaking Night: A Memoir funding Forgiveness, Survival, and My Crossing from Homeless to Harvard. Hachette Books. ISBN .

Authored articles

See also

References

External links