A Louisiana high school senior experiencing homelessness recently graduated at the top of his class with the highest-earning GPA.
Elijah Hogan, 19, was named valedictorian of Walter L. Cohen High School in New Orleans and graduated May 24 with a 3.93 GPA, he told CNN.
Hogan, who has been homeless for a year and a half, says he couldn’t believe it when he found out about his academic performance.
“I thought they were confusing me with someone else, but when I looked at it and they showed me evidence that it was me, I was stunned, like, my jaw dropped,” said Hogan, who was born in New Orleans and raised primarily in Houston.
Hogan was one of four black male students who achieved valedictorian status at their New Orleans schools this spring, CNN affiliate WDSU reported.
Hogan, who had lived with his grandmother since he was 11, says he became homeless after the lease on his grandmother’s house expired when the landlord decided to sell the property.
He and his grandmother had 30 days to vacate the house, according to Hogan.
“From there, I made the executive decision to live on my own to ease the burden on my grandmother,” Hogan told CNN.
While her grandmother went to live in an assisted living facility, Hogan was left without permanent housing.
Her grandmother told her about Covenant House, a homeless shelter in New Orleans that serves youth and adults ages 16 to 22. Hogan has lived at the shelter as part of its transitional housing program since becoming homeless, he said.
The program allows youth to stay at the shelter for up to 24 months rent-free, giving them the opportunity to focus on education or save money while they work, Covenant House New Orleans Executive Director Rheneisha Robertson told CNN.
“It really allows them to stabilize and identify more permanent, stable housing,” said Robertson, who added that the homeless shelter had five other high school graduates this year.
Hogan, who addressed his graduating class with an uplifting valedictorian speech last week, said dealing with homelessness while completing his studies was a challenge, but he found support from homeless shelter staff and of your school team.
“As time went on, I started opening up to people at Covenant House and also to Cohen. People were there to support me and guide me,” Hogan said. “Without them, I would not have become who I am today.”
He credits his Covenant House case manager, Jarkayla Cobb, for never giving up on him.
“She helped me get through it even when I was showing a lack of faith in myself,” Hogan said. “She was there no matter what I needed.”
Hogan, who lost his mother just before he turned 12, says her death encouraged him to pursue his education for the sake of his grandmother.
“I know this is what (my mother) would have wanted,” he said.
Hogan plans to attend Xavier University in New Orleans in the fall to study graphic design and has received a scholarship to cover his tuition, he says.
“Elijah’s accomplishments are worth celebrating. We know they are a product of his character and the choices he made day in and day out to pursue his dreams,” Jerel Bryant, executive director of Collegiate Academies, which operates Hogan’s former high school, said in a statement.
“Their success is also a testament to how capable and excellent our young black men are, in New Orleans and across the country,” Bryant said.
Hogan offered these words of encouragement to other young people:
“For any race, no matter what color or accent you have, you are your own guide,” Hogan said. “You are your own storybook that you write. Let yourself be the pen that writes on paper.”
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