Meet the amazing teen who went from homeless to valedictorian

You know the phrase “haters are my motivators”? For teen Trameka Pope, that’s definitely true. When she started high school, her teacher told her that she would drop out by sophomore year, that Trameka was wasting her time. Why? Because when she was a kid, she was homeless, and after she finished eighth grade, she had a baby.

Now, she’s valedictorian.

This is after four years of school, cheerleading, working two jobs, being a part of the National Honor Society, and raising a child. Trameka explains her success:

She’s certainly defied all odds. According to Fox 32 News, both Trameka and her mother were homeless when Trameka was younger, and by the time they were somewhat on their feet, there was another mouth to feed. But strong ladies work together, and Trameka juggled all her hardships so successfully that she now has more than $80,000 in scholarships, and was accepted to 26 different schools. That’s a feat for someone with an uneventful life, let alone the topsy-turvy rollercoaster that Trameka had to navigate. She even got to meet Arne Duncan, the U.S. Secretary of Education (a position that Trameka would probably be great in someday, tbh).

This fall, she’s attending Western Illinois University, and plans to pursue a PhD in social work. I don’t know about you, but someone who’s so successful after overcoming so much? I’d listen to anything she had to say.

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