We all come on on hard luck sometimes. Few of us, however, have a story like this kid. High school means many different things to different people. For some, it was the best time of their lives and for others, it means dread and terror!

For Martin Folsom, high school was tough.

Martin and his mother are homeless. While they were usually able to find a roof over their heads each night, they had no permanent place to sleep and live. This usually looked like staying in a shelter, which was a blessing, but tough to raise a child in.

Martin had a desire to be the best.

Wanting to graduate and succeed in life, Martin did much more than that in high school. Studying and focusing for hours, Martin held high grades in every single class he took. Staying focused, even when times were tough, he graduated with his class at Phili Randolph Career Academy. This is an incredible feat for someone studying at the local homeless shelter!

More than just graduate, Martin won valedictorian!

People spend their entire young lives hoping to receive such accolades as this. Martin won valedictorian while living homeless with his mother! To give some insight, the class valedictorian is the person who had the highest academic achievements, usually meaning they had perfect grades throughout their entire school career. Prep Scholar defines it as:

If you are named valedictorian, it usually means that you have reached the highest level of academic achievement out of all the students in your class. At some schools, multiple students are named valedictorians. Valedictory honors are determined by GPA, which may be measured differently depending on your high school.

When Martin found out, he was stunned.

With all that hard work paying off, the realization was a shock for Martin. He had done the work and the time finally came for him to see the fruits of his labor.

“It kind of gave me a jolt in my chest a little bit, so it was a good feeling. It means a lot and it gives me a sense of all I’ve done and all I have accomplished was worth it.”

Martin’s history makes the story even more incredible.

Martin and his mother fled their home, with Melva (his mom) desiring to get out of her horrible marriage. They fled, fearing her sons and her safety. Soon after, her ex-husband was sent to prison for 40 years for murder. What an escape!

Melva worked as they bounced from shelter to shelter.

Doing everything she could (as mothers do), she made it work for her son to attend school in Jacksonville. After years of attempting to find someplace to live and living from shelters and McDonalds, they finally got into a rhythm.

After years of work, dedication, and fortitude, they made it happen.

Martin has an incredible future ahead of him. Winning valedictorian opens up so many opportunities in terms of college and future job applications. This is just the beginning for Martin and his mom.

Check out the video of Martin below!

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Source: Spotlight Stories, YouTube