16-year-old homeless student graduates school 2 years early

Updated
Haircuts for the Homeless
Haircuts for the Homeless

Destyni Tyree is 16-year-old teen from D.C. And she's already graduated high school.

That's not to say her shorter-than-normal high school career wasn't eventful. Destyni was a cheerleader, prom queen, and received many accolades and academic awards. She even graduated with a 4.0 GPA.

Oh yeah, and she's homeless.

But in the fall, she'll be heading to West Virginia to attend Potomac State University on a scholarship.

Destyni's pushed herself academically, with the support of her mother and teachers. She took summer and online classes, and her extreme potential was recognized by the school's leadership.

"We not only gave her regular classes, she had online classes and she did Saturday school to make sure that she graduated this year," said Ms. Young, principal of the alternative high school Destyni attended in Northeast D.C.

Life in the family shelter was hard, and so Destyni worked hard to leave it. She explained, "I don't want to live in a shelter when I get older. I want to better my life, so that gave me the drive to do what I want to do."

But she knows the journey won't be easy. To prepare herself, and all of the outside costs not included in her scholarship, Destyni has set up a GoFundMe page.

"I'm scared, I'm excited, I'm proud of myself, all in one big ball," she said.

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