Joshua Williams, Homeless College Student, Shares Incredibly Inspring Story (PHOTO)

This soon-to-be college grad has an inspiring story about beating the odds.

Joshua Williams will be graduating from Florida's Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach this Saturday. He will be receiving a Bachelor's degree in criminal justice and is the first student at the university to start his own scholarship.

But what makes Williams' achievements truly extraordinary is that he spent most of his first three years at the university without a place to live.

The 23-year-old shared the story of how he went from a homeless student to a top-notch graduate with the Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Williams grew up with his aunt in Miami where he was surrounded by violence and crime -- his younger brother, who was only 16, was found dead in a lake in 2011.

Through hard work and some help from a teacher, Williams was accepted to college, but the costs were high. Each semester, Williams would have to pay roughly $10,000 for tuition, room and board.

To manage expenses, he told the university that he was living off-campus after his first year. In reality, he had no where to stay. "I knew I was homeless, but I said to myself I'd rather be in Daytona homeless trying to go to school than ever go back to Miami," he told the News-Journal.

Story continues after photo.

Williams survived much of the next two years sleeping in unlocked trucks or on friends' couches. Some ramen from a friend or a borrowed meal plan card kept him fed and extensive notes kept him afloat in class because he couldn't afford textbooks.

"I was always worried about my next move ? Where would I stay? How long can I stay here? When is my family going to send me money?" he told the news source.

It wasn't until his junior year that Williams revealed at a school assembly that he was homeless and an advisor was able to secure him a place in a residence hall.

Last spring Williams was awarded the title of Mr. Bethune-Cookman University, which made him an ambassador for the school and also guaranteed his room and board for his senior year.

According to the Journal, Williams started the Keeper of Light book scholarship to help provide needy students with textbooks. So far, he has raised $2,750 for the cause.

"He hasn't left and he's already serving others," President Edison Jackson told the News-Journal. "His spirit and mind is in the right place."

Share the video above to raise awareness about Williams' scholarship.

H/T: msnNOW

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/08/joshua-williams-homeless-college-grad_n_3239662.html

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