ELIZABETH MURRAY – HOMELESS TO HARVARD
The accounts of those who have used their strength to overcome in the most adverse of conditions, always yields a poignant compassion and understanding within me. When I learn of the moving testimony of an individual or individuals, I believe it is imperative that the Empowerment Chronicle is a vehicle in which their triumph over adversity can encourage the lives of others. The story of Elizabeth Murray is one such example.
Elizabeth “Liz” Murray was born on September 23rd, 1980 in the Bronx, New York, to poor, drug-addicted, HIV-infected parents. She became homeless just after she turned 15, when her mother died of AIDS, and her father moved to a homeless shelter. Liz graduated from high school while living on the streets and overcame incredible odds to win a full scholarship to Harvard University. She is now a Harvard graduate, a New York Times Bestselling author, and founder and director of Manifest Living, a New York based company whose mission it is to empower adults to create the extraordinary in their own lives. As a professional speaker, representing the Washington Speakers Bureau, Liz uses the same gutsy strength that pulled her from the streets to transform the lives of others. A made-for-TV film about her life Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story, was released in 2003.
Liz’s parents met in 1977 and her elder sister Lisa was born a year later. By the time Liz was born her father was serving a three-year prison sentence for fraud involving prescription painkillers. Amazingly, instead of falling apart, her mother at that time proved to be a sober and house-proud single parent. This changed completely, however, upon the release of Liz’s father.
Liz’s mother was legally blind due to a degenerative eye disease she’d had since birth, which meant she was entitled to welfare. Liz’s childhood memories recall how the first day of each month was the most important in the household. Food was readily available for the first week and then both she and her elder sister Lisa would live on egg and mayonnaise sandwiches for the rest of the month. This was all against a backdrop of her parents feeding an all consuming drug habit in the kitchen.
Liz’s parents’ drug habit inevitably prevented them from looking after the children properly. Liz remembers attending school and smelling her own stench, such was the lack of care. That type of physical condition made school an unbearable place to be as a child, so Liz persuaded her parents to allow her to stay at home. The situation was so appalling that on the rare occasion when she attended school, the teachers did not even know who Liz was.
As with all children of drug addicts memories abound of their personal affects being sold to sustain their parents’ addiction. A Thanksgiving turkey provided by the church was sold, birthday monies stolen and household goods traded to satisfy ‘a hit’. Liz even remembers a drug dealer’s refusal on principle to buy her sister’s winter coat when her mother tried to exchange it for drugs.
As well as being blind, Liz’s mum turned out to have the same mental illness that her mother had. Between 1986 and 1990, she suffered six schizophrenic bouts, each requiring her to be institutionalized for up to three months. This additional strain brought her parent’s relationship to an extremely volatile end. Their arguments were legendary and just after Liz’s
11th birthday her mother confessed she had AIDS. When Liz asked whether she was going to die, her mother assured her she would be alright and walked out of the door. She never returned.
Once her parents separated her mother began a new relationship with a security guard who was drug free. Liz spent time living with her father, being taken into care and finally given permission to live with her mother, her sister Lisa and her mother’s new boyfriend. Liz started attending school and made friends with Sam a pretty Latino girl, who also had problems at home. The two bonded but after becoming friends with a gang of truants they started missing school. The situation for Sam at home worsened, so against the rules of her mum’s boyfriend, Liz would smuggle her friend into the apartment. Once discovered, this arrangement abruptly ended and the two girls found themselves homeless.
Liz’s life developed from one neglectful challenge to another. The girls slept on park benches, subways and occasionally at friend’s homes. In the winter of 1996, just three weeks before Christmas her mother died of Tuberculosis. Alone, and completely despondent about her future Liz continued to find places to sleep at friend’s homes whenever she could. One particular evening she met Paige the girlfriend of her close friend Danny, who had previously been homeless but turned her life around. Intrigued and desperate for change Liz followed Paige’s advice and tried to enter an alternative high school for those who were really motivated but lacked the resources. Despite her enthusiasm Liz was turned down repeatedly until she met Perry Weiner, the founder of the Humanities Preparatory Academy. She told him about her past and he agreed to give her the chance that changed her life.
Unknown to Perry, the two years Liz attended school she remained homeless – staying at friends’ apartments whenever she could. But she always arrived on time, or even early, for classes. Liz became a straight-A student, completing a four-year high school program in just two years. When the time came to think about what she would do next, Perry selected her, along with nine other top students to visit Harvard University. After an inspirational trip Liz was persuaded by her teachers to apply for the New York Times’ scholarship grant to Harvard. Pouring her heart out concerning her past experiences Liz won the scholarship.
Once she graduated from Harvard Liz nursed her father until his death from AIDS.
Liz purposed that every challenge, neglect and obstacle of her life would be turned around for the good of others. Now in her thirties, she is an award-winning motivational speaker and runs workshops designed to help others change their lives for the better.