A determined homeless boy, Zaylin Washington has fought his way to earn a scholarship to study at Feather River College, in the United States despite facing the challenges of being homeless.
Washington, from Texas, earned his high school diploma from Nimitz High School in Irving, United States. He told KTVT that he endured a period of homelessness, bullying and other adversities before finally earning a full college scholarship
“At the time, I didn’t know it was broken because I thought it was me. I was the issue, having to go from place to place. Deep down I was like, ‘What am I doing wrong?” he said.
He stated that one of the hardships that he overcame growing up was seeing his parents each spend time in prison, which made him homeless and eventually landed him in foster care.
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Washington said he also struggled with bullies in his earlier school years, saying: “People would make fun of me, my clothes were ripped and too big,” he said.
Eventually, in seventh grade, Washington joined a football team, and there he said he developed a sense of family as well as a support system. “I felt a lot of pressure off my shoulders … like I had finally found a home,” he said.
He mentioned that he spent a significant amount of time homeless while he was in his junior year of high school. Washington said he hid his ordeal from his classmates, keeping quiet about his living situation.
Washington it was a youth group pastor who offered him a place to live. He added that the pastor’s generosity let him focus on his academics and football in a stable arrangement that he preferred over returning to foster care.
“This was the first time someone chose me – not [me being] forced on them,” he said. With the help of his pastor, Washington was able to graduate high school with a good grade.
Washington’s outstanding performance in high school earned him an offer of a full-ride scholarship to Feather River College, California in the United States. He stated that he accepted the offer because it would enable him to fulfill his goal.
“I want to be more successful than anyone – anyone in my whole family. I wanted to complete high school, and finish college. I wanted to prove doubters] wrong,” Washinton said,
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