Resilient Washington, DC resident, 16-year-old Destyni Tyree who lives in a homeless shelter with her mum recently overcame extraordinary odds to not only graduate from high school two years ahead of schedule with a 4.0 grade point average, but she also received an academic scholarship to college.Destyni and her family were forced to make the shelter their home after her mother lost her job a few years ago, but the hard-working teenager refused to let her situation affect her. She said she used her unfortunate circumstances as motivation rather than letting it get her down.

Destyni said:

With the outstanding support of her mother and the principal of her school, Destyni worked hard to meet and exceed her goal of graduating two years early.

Destyni plans to attend Potomac State University later this year, but is still saving up money for additional educational expenses not covered in her scholarship, like the cost of books.

Her mum said she is very proud of Destyni's achievement.