<p>My impression was that she did not know at the time where her parents were, only knowing that they had left after leaving her grandparent at a homeless shelter. It was only “later” that she learned that they had moved to Tennessee. The article never stated whether her parents was even able to establish a new residence. It is more likely that, for a couple who couldn’t pay for electricity, they remained homeless in the new state.</p>
<p>Children who are homeless have the option of enrolling either in the school they had attended when they became homeless, their last attended school, or the school near the homeless shelter where they live. Dawn therefore had the option of staying in her current school. The administrator at the high school did the extraordinary thing of offering her support so that she could stay with a family and live as normally as possible while continuing her education, instead of turning her to child services, which I think made a huge difference. </p>
<p>In any case, I’m so honored to have someone like Dawn as a classmate and so proud of Harvard for making this admission decision.</p>