This year, a homeless teenager is the valedictorian of First Coast High School in Jacksonville, Florida, TODAY reports.
Griffin Furlong, 18, said he has had to “grow up really fast” since his mother died of leukemia when he was six, and he and his father have lived in homeless shelters throughout his life.
Furlong never missed a day of high school and hopes to attend Florida State. In fact, a GoFundMe page has raised more than $24,000 to help him pay for college in the last six days.
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Write to Olivia B. Waxman at olivia.waxman@time.com