Congratulations to Ashley Moore of Austin! Ashley, who will graduate from Crockett High School this September, was awarded a LeTendre Education Fund scholarship in 2004. Her reaction to the news of the $1000 prize was understandably jubilant: “I was thrilled to death! I screamed and jumped around my college and career counselor. She was thrilled too!!” Ashley celebrated by going out for a victory dinner with her brother and her mentor.

Sadly, the person who influenced Ashley’s life the most—her mom—was not there to join in the celebration; she died when Ashley was nine. Ashley’s 18-year-old sister became responsible for raising her and four other siblings, but eventually Ashley had to move in with other relatives and friends. “What I realized while staying with different people [was that] I couldn’t get the same love and help from other people as I did with my mother.” Still, she has no regrets about the road she has traveled and the challenges she has overcome: “My story is a difficult one,” she says, “but I am proud of who I am and how well I have been able to adapt to my situation.” Losing her mother at a young age made Ashley realize “how important people are and how we should value our time with them and not to take things for granted. Life is too short.”

Ashley anticipates that her scholarship money will be spent “on books and other expenses” at either the University of Houston or Texas Lutheran University, her primary college choices. Because she enjoys helping others and is passionate about basketball, Ashley intends to focus her studies on education and coaching. She strives for excellence in everything she does because she knows that, “in the real world, after high school, people won’t judge me based on my obstacles but on my accomplishments.” Perhaps that’s why she sees life beyond Austin’s city limits as an “opportunity to get a fresh start and a chance to see new things and meet new people.”

When asked what advice she would give to other students who have suffered personal loss and endured homelessness, Ashley offers this stoic but optimistic mantra: “Pain is inevitable . . . suffering is optional.” We at the Texas Homeless Education Office wish Ashley the best of luck with her educational goals and commend her for her personal and academic victories.