Liz Murray was born in a New York slum. Her parents were desperately poor and addicted to drugs. She started skipping class. Eventually Liz dropped out of school and began living on the streets. Her life was miserable. But life went from bad to worse when she got the news that her mother had died of AIDS. She was deeply affected. Life finally hit rock bottom when her once-trustworthy boyfriend began to deal and take illegal drugs. His violent mood swings and unpredictability scared Liz. When she thought about her future, she knew something needed to change. Liz decided to return to high school. That decision would change her life forever. Despite many difficulties, with hard work she finished the four year course in only two years. She graduated with excellent grades, second in her class. She won The New York Times undergraduate scholarship and was accepted at Harvard University.