From Homeless to Harvard.

• Author: Marcus, Jon
• Position: College student Liz Murray - Brief Article

Like other Harvard University freshmen this fall, Liz Murray is still adjusting--but she may have more adjusting to do than most new students.

Homeless off and on since she was 15, Liz Murray got herself through high school while sleeping on park benches and doing her homework by the light of apartment hallways. The New York City teenager did so well that she won a scholarship last year and was accepted by Harvard. After she was featured on the cover of this magazine (1/31/00), UPFRONT received hundreds of letters from readers who were touched by her story and wanted to keep up with her progress.

When we visited Liz at Harvard, she seemed very much at home, although she doesn't always have a lot in common with her classmates, more than a third of whom come from private schools. "I don't know polite conversation," she says...