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Lalita Booth broke loose from the shackles of poverty and homelessness and transformed into one of UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 elite as a Truman Scholar and Harvard hopeful. How she did it 麻豆精品 S� that 麻豆精品 S檚 where the story gets interesting.

Sitting in front of a classroom of , 27-year-old Lalita Booth looks like any other junior 麻豆精品 S� sporting unassuming khaki-colored cargo pants, worn leather sandals, an oversized sweatshirt and a long ponytail of wavy, auburn locks still drying from her morning shower. The brown-eyed, freckle-faced student blends in with the roomful of her peers in every way.

That is, until she opens her mouth.

麻豆精品 S淵ou 麻豆精品 S檙e looking at the face of a child abuse survivor, a perpetual runaway, a high school dropout, 麻豆精品 S� she says as idle chitchat turns to complete silence.

麻豆精品 S淚 was a teenage mother, a homeless parent and a former welfare recipient. 麻豆精品 S�

As jaws drop, she paints a vivid picture of her tumultuous past. Her parents divorced when she was young, by 12 she was a runaway pro 麻豆精品 S� asking for permission to go somewhere and then simply not returning for a few days or weeks 麻豆精品 S� and when discontent and anger intensified she took a month-long trip through several states by hitching rides with truckers.

After her spontaneous, vagabond-style trip, she never returned to high school and rarely showed her face at home either. Instead, she became proficient in 麻豆精品 S渃ouch surfing 麻豆精品 S� at friends 麻豆精品 S� homes. When there was no couch to crash on, the teen would take nightly refuge behind the closest dumpster and rest in the park during the day. 麻豆精品 S淲hen you are 15 and alone, you don 麻豆精品 S檛 want the police or anyone else to notice you, 麻豆精品 S� she says intensely.

In hindsight, she justifies her unconventional ways. 麻豆精品 S淚t wasn 麻豆精品 S檛 some sort of well-thought-out decision to be a wild child, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淚t was the only way I knew to be. So I never really questioned it. 麻豆精品 S�

Searching for Stability

To understand how it got to this point, where a 15-year-old was struggling to survive on the streets, you have to rewind to Booth 麻豆精品 S檚 early childhood. The whirlwind of instability rushed in when her parent 麻豆精品 S檚 Asheville, NC, home was foreclosed on, forcing her family to live a nomadic lifestyle, hopping from town to town as evictions were slapped on the door or jobs were lost. 麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檝e lived in 80 different homes in my 27 years, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淚 bounced around like a ping-pong ball. 麻豆精品 S�

For Booth, it was a time filled with physical torment, emotional distress and utter loneliness. 麻豆精品 S淥ccasionally, 麻豆精品 S� she says, 麻豆精品 S淚 just couldn 麻豆精品 S檛 be inside my house. 麻豆精品 S� Struggling to clearly explain the feeling, she mentions it likely stems from events of abuse in her past, so traumatic that she can 麻豆精品 S檛 recall them today. 麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 been a pervasive thing throughout my life, 麻豆精品 S� she says. Sitting at home for her was akin to cabin fever. And running away was a desperate attempt to keep her emotions at bay.

Her ramshackle plan: stay in constant motion and develop a 麻豆精品 S渟ocial family 麻豆精品 S� of peers who were just as broke as she was financially and emotionally. She felt safe and happy with the ragtag team that would meet often at Vincent 麻豆精品 S檚 Ear, a little coffee shop in downtown Asheville.

麻豆精品 S淚t was wonderful, 麻豆精品 S� she recalls. 麻豆精品 S淵ou could get a cup of coffee for 75 cents, sit for four hours, and they wouldn 麻豆精品 S檛 kick you out. 麻豆精品 S� Other times the group would play chess or backgammon on concrete picnic tables at a nearby rundown courtyard or they 麻豆精品 S檇 hike the Blue Ridge Parkway and go berry picking or fishing. 麻豆精品 S淚f you exercise ingenuity, 麻豆精品 S� she says, 麻豆精品 S渋t 麻豆精品 S檚 pretty easy to find things that don 麻豆精品 S檛 cost much that are entertaining. 麻豆精品 S�

On Her Own

While the majority of her early years were haphazard, one notion always remained constant 麻豆精品 S� Booth was rushing to become an adult. Maybe it was lessons from her older sister, who shared the same rebellious streak. Or maybe it was her defiant attitude. Nonetheless, at 16 she made a very grownup decision. As yelling matches with her parents worsened, her bond with peers grew stronger; so she played the ultimate teenage trump card 麻豆精品 S� emancipation, or legal separation from her parents. 麻豆精品 S淚 was already living on my own, 麻豆精品 S� she explains, 麻豆精品 S渂ut I couldn 麻豆精品 S檛 sign a lease, couldn 麻豆精品 S檛 start building credit. So I hired an attorney, and my parents were served with a subpoena. 麻豆精品 S�

Booth was free from parental confines, but before things could get better for the incorrigible teen, they got much worse. What should have been her wonder years were instead her welfare years.

Furthering her quest to be a grownup, at 17 she married her long-time buddy and fellow high-school-dropout, Quinn. 麻豆精品 S淗e made me feel very safe, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淎fter having felt so alone, it meant a lot to me to have someone who would stand by me. 麻豆精品 S�

Three months later, she found out she was pregnant with her son, Kieren. What normally would be a joyful time was instead a stressful one while the new couple struggled in a prison of deep poverty. Living in a tiny relic of an apartment in Asheville, Quinn brought home $800 a month while Booth stayed home to care for their gregarious, rambunctious, hungry infant. Rent gobbled up more than half their income and left little cash to feed and clothe the young family.

麻豆精品 S淧overty is like a bubble that closes the realm of possibility around you, 麻豆精品 S� she explains. 麻豆精品 S淎nd there is simply no way out. 麻豆精品 S�

Fortunately, the young couple qualified for a supplemental nutrition program which provided a stockpile of food each month. This meant four gallons of milk, three pounds of black beans and rice, several giant blocks of cheese, 10 pounds of potatoes 麻豆精品 S� yet it all had to last 30 days. 麻豆精品 S淭hree meals a day was not something we could afford, 麻豆精品 S� she explains. 麻豆精品 S淲e usually only had breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays. 麻豆精品 S�

The miserable situation began to take its toll, and after just two and a half years of marriage, Quinn was ready to call it quits. However, they certainly couldn 麻豆精品 S檛 afford to file for divorce. Quinn instead enlisted in the military, left the country and withdrew financial support.

Flood Gates Open

Booth 麻豆精品 S檚 trickle of problems was now a full-fledged flood. Confronted with the realization that she was a stay-at-home mom with no professional skills, she knew that keeping her head above water would be a struggle. And while she attempted to find work, another major problem had crept into the picture 麻豆精品 S� she was homeless.

麻豆精品 S淭hings were fundamentally not working where I was, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淭he only thing you really can do if you don 麻豆精品 S檛 know what other variables to change is just to change everything. Try to eliminate every variable that could possibly be posing a problem. 麻豆精品 S�

The escape artist in her prevailed again. With her new boyfriend, Carl, and her most precious cargo, Kieren, in tow, Booth fled to Boulder, CO, one of the few places from her childhood 麻豆精品 S� with its mix of dreadlocked college folk, eclectic coffee shops, a greenbelt of trails and open spaces and the ever-present Rocky Mountain backdrop 麻豆精品 S� that brought back happy memories.

But it was a city that didn 麻豆精品 S檛 come cheap. Bad credit made it nearly impossible to rent an apartment, and Booth, without a car, couldn 麻豆精品 S檛 find a job nearby. To make matters worse, childcare was four times more expensive in Boulder than in Asheville.

And so, she made a decision no parent should have to make: She gave her son away. Kieren was shuffled over to his paternal grandparents 麻豆精品 S� house for seven months while Lalita and Carl attempted to get back on their feet. 麻豆精品 S淚 slept with his T-shirt every night, 麻豆精品 S� she said. “I just couldn’t give up on being somebody who would make him proud.”

Time away from her 2-year-old was devastating, however, being in Colorado proved to be fruitful for the 21-year-old, starting with an interesting job opportunity as an enrolled agent, an expert in U.S. taxation who can represent taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service. She could acquire the license without further schooling. Better yet, it would boost her income to $32,000. She buckled down and read all 4,000 pages of the study guide and, thanks to her near-photographic memory, she aced the test. Another key to climbing out of poverty: She set up a complimentary session with a financial planner, mapping out exactly how to make ends meet.

Finally, her life was stable; she was feeling all the early signs of contentment. But, once again, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Carl 麻豆精品 S檚 brother in Orlando was very ill, and he needed to move to Florida. 麻豆精品 S淚t was a very difficult choice, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淏ut I wanted to keep our family together. I cried all the way out of the state of Colorado. In giving that up, I thought, I better make something exceptional of the life I create. 麻豆精品 S�

The Turning Point

The young family settled into an apartment in Sanford, and Booth began the job search, hoping to be an enrolled agent again, but reluctantly taking a minimum-wage job at Winn-Dixie when that didn 麻豆精品 S檛 pan out. Then came the ugly realization that if Carl left her, she would be right back where she started when Quinn retreated. 麻豆精品 S淚 would be sleeping in my car and surfing from couch to couch again, 麻豆精品 S� she says.

The only way to ensure her independence was to do something that frightened her to the very core 麻豆精品 S� go back to school. At 23, Booth had taken a hiatus from academia for seven years. The gaping holes in her education 麻豆精品 S� she missed fifth grade altogether and dropped out of high school at 16 麻豆精品 S� were not something she could escape.

But Kieren, then 4 years old, served as her constant inspiration. 麻豆精品 S淭he old adage that your child will do as you do, not as you say, is very true, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淚f this were him in this situation, what would I want him to do? 麻豆精品 S�

She knew the answer. And soon after, she enrolled at Seminole Community College. Finally, she was in the right place at the right time. 麻豆精品 S淚t was opportunity, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淚t was the chance to be something different. 麻豆精品 S� She giggles when she says most people probably thought she was incredibly bizarre; she was so thrilled to be reuniting with academia, she would sit in the library and smell the books.

And she thrived. Where high school classes never met her craving for intellectual stimuli, college classes embraced her like an old acquaintance. College was her new haven, cozy and controlled.

In May 2005, Booth was selected to attend the Salzburg Global Seminar, where she brainstormed ways to solve global problems with a group of international students. That trip to Austria proved to be a life-changing one. 麻豆精品 S淲e were coming from Munich, taking the train, 麻豆精品 S� she remembers wistfully. 麻豆精品 S淚t was surreal. For so many years it was, 麻豆精品 S楬ow am I going to scrounge up enough for Ramen noodles? 麻豆精品 S� It was such a far cry from that desperate poverty. 麻豆精品 S�

The thought-provoking trip led her to her mission: help others escape the chokehold of poverty. Although she didn 麻豆精品 S檛 know how or when, Booth knew she would dedicate her life to this quest. 麻豆精品 S淭hat drive to make a difference, 麻豆精品 S� she says, 麻豆精品 S渉as been what I 麻豆精品 S檝e eaten, slept and breathed for the past three years. 麻豆精品 S�

Back in the states, Booth 麻豆精品 S檚 world became even more dream-like when she won the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship, one of the largest and most competitive scholarships available to undergraduates in America, which whisked away $30,000 worth of bills, books and tuition each year. Now, she could focus purely on studies, devoting her time to the Phi Theta Kappa international scholastic honors society, Brain Bowl, the debate team and literary writing.

Things were looking up. In the meantime, ideas were percolating for her 麻豆精品 S渓ife mission. 麻豆精品 S�

Daring to Dream

These days, Booth 麻豆精品 S檚 growing academic momentum sees no bounds. With 135 credit hours to her name and a 4.0 GPA to boot, she couldn 麻豆精品 S檛 be more pleased. As a junior at UCF 麻豆精品 S� double majoring in finance and accounting 麻豆精品 S� she 麻豆精品 S檚 continuing to make up for lost time.

So far so good. In March, she became the only UCF student ever to capture the elusive Harry S. Truman Scholarship, one of the nation’s most prestigious public policy awards, which provide recipients $30,000 toward graduate studies. Not surprisingly, she also is a member of the , the highest honor that the university bestows upon students.

To top it off, she founded Lighthouse for Dreams, a financial literacy program aimed at educating and empowering high school students. “I have lived the reality that I’m trying to change for so many people,” she says. “Because I’ve been in those situations, I have a window of insight into what causes the problem and how to go about fixing it.”

Beyond her high school outreach program, Booth has interned with state and U.S. lawmakers to improve Florida’s financial literacy laws and reform welfare’s work restrictions 麻豆精品 S� two major policy concerns she knows about first hand. She teaches financial literacy to Junior Achievement students, and her thesis is being reviewed by President Bush 麻豆精品 S檚 Literacy Task Force and will likely be published in the near future.

麻豆精品 S淚f you 麻豆精品 S檙e looking for someone who will change the world for the better, 麻豆精品 S� says , UCF associate professor of finance, 麻豆精品 S淚 believe that you have found her. 麻豆精品 S�

Meanwhile, it seems as if her childhood pipe dream of attending Harvard Law School may come true. By the looks of her apartment, it is quite apparent she 麻豆精品 S檚 doing more than crossing her fingers. The white walls in her family room, the ceiling light above the kitchen counter and the closet are all punctuated with dozens of yellow Post-it Notes, each indicating a new fact she wants to commit to memory. A How to Get into Harvard book sits on the toilet tank, and GRE study guides line the top of the fish aquarium. 麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檓 never more than 20 feet away from a book, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淚 try to keep reading material everywhere. 麻豆精品 S�

Booth strongly believes, and for good reason, 麻豆精品 S渢hings that are worth achieving are absolutely unreasonable, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淪et unreasonable goals and chase them unreasonably. 麻豆精品 S�

A Rich Life

Although she 麻豆精品 S檚 rebounded from poverty, she says she 麻豆精品 S檚 still prone to buying 10-pound bags of potatoes, hand-stitching her own brightly-colored pillows or shucking pomegranates to make her own wine. The main difference in her life now: Every choice she makes is a calculated one. She spends 20-plus hours a week studying for the , so she can score at least 171 out of 180. Soon after, she 麻豆精品 S檒l tackle the GRE in hopes of also being accepted into the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Equally as important, she passes on her intellect on to her shaggy haired 8-year-old, who is the lead singer in a neighborhood band and anxious to attend SCC, UCF and Harvard to study electrical engineering.

As she flips through a photo album, packed with snapshots of her young pregnancy, her low-key Asheville apartment and her lifelong friends, Booth says she wouldn 麻豆精品 S檛 change anything in her past. 麻豆精品 S淚t could potentially alter who I am today, 麻豆精品 S� she says emphatically.

And at this point, there is nothing left to escape. She is exactly where she wants to be.