After five years of walking three miles every day to the Columbus Metropolitan Library, to receive help with his homework, Lashawn Samuel has been accepted into 12 colleges and universities.

NBC4 Columbus reports that Samuel grew up in poverty. He also experienced other hardships like health challenges and violence firsthand as a result of living in a troubled neighborhood.

After overcoming the circumstances, Samuel is now the proud recipient of a full scholarship to his dream school, Ohio State University, making him the first in his family to go to college.

“I was so excited that I was going to college,” Samuel told NBC4 Columbus. “Even if nobody else accepted me, I had this in my pocket. I knew that I had done what I had to do to get into college and my hard work was paying off.”

Samuel’s hard work paid off and he is now seeing the fruit of his dedication and perseverance. His hard road has taught him with God, family, and friends anything is possible.

“I never would have achieved it without God, my family, my friends, and this environment I have around me. There’s always going to be a challenge or an obstacle that you’re going to have to overcome or grow out of,” he told NBC4 Columbus. “But as long as you keep true to yourself and have faith and persevere so that you can overcome it, then you will.”

Samuel’s tutor at the Columbus Metropolitan Library, Kelly Young, is awestruck at Samuel’s perseverance and feels his story is inspiring during the current health crisis.

“The kid has tremendous perseverance and he just keeps going. During a time like this, when we are all facing such uncertainty, I think Lashawn’s story can really teach us. Using the resources that are around us in our community and depending on each other, that’s just the way that we can all get through this pandemic and all the uncertainty of what lies ahead,” Young told NBC.

Congratulations Lashawn! Thank you for showing us that faith, hard work, and perseverance pays off.

Lashawn Samuel

Sign up for our daily Newsletter.