Homeless student overcomes the odds

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Tackling life's punches can be tough for anyone, but there's one teenager who didn't let his hard knock life prevent him from excelling. Brooklyn teen, Orayne Williams, who is homeless and without parents, has overcome the odds and excelled.

The inspirational senior at Bedford Academy in Bedford-Stuyvesant is set to graduate in a few weeks. Williams has a 91 average, three Advanced Placement classes on his transcript, and $15 thousand in grant money to pay for his first year of college.

While many seniors can boast of such success, most are not homeless. Williams's father is in Jamaica and his mother's location is unknown.

Williams begins and ends each day in a homeless shelter in Williamsburg, where he studies in his bed and lays out his dreams for the future.

"He wants to be a dermatologist," said Cluny Lavache, an assistant principal at Bedford Academy.

The 18-year old will attend Sullivan County Community College in the fall. From there, he hopes to major in biology at Stony Brook University or Howard University. He wants to attend medical school.

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new york city, bedford-stuyvesant, brooklyn, homeless, local news, joe torres

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