Perseverance

Photo courtesy of Newsday

     It’s America’s oldest and most prestigious pre-college science competition. It could lead to a $100,000 four-year college scholarship. It’s the Intel Science Talent Search. And Samantha Garvey was one of 300 semifinalists in the running for that $100,000.
     Although Garvey might not have gone on to be one of the 40 finalists in the contest, she stands out from her peers. What makes Garvey different? Well, for one, her project. She spent more than two years studying the effects of Asian short crabs on mussels in salt marshes in her home city of Long Island.
     A second reason – Garvey, her parents and her two siblings have been homeless since New Year’s Day this year after being evicted from their home.

     A car accident last February left Garvey’s parents hospitalized, her father out of work for nine months and the family of five unable to pay their rent. They spent a week in a hotel before moving to a Bay Shore homeless shelter.
     According to a homelessness advocacy group, in 2011, about 636,000 Americans, on any given night, experienced homelessness. This included about 9,000 youth ages 18 and under.
     It’s a startling number. For those Garvey’s age who don’t have the means to overcome their situation, the consequences can become increasingly worse. Not having a home leads to the lack of an address, which consequently keeps them from attending school. If they can’t attend school, most only have the ability to keep a low-wage, short-term job.
     Luckily, Garvey and her siblings will, most likely, not become a statistic. Since Garvey’s story and her academic achievements in the Intel competition were made public, the Long Island community has begun to help out.
     Steve Bellone, Suffolk County executive, heard about Garvey’s semifinalist status. Bellone made a “three-bedroom, rent-subsidized home” available to Garvey’s family along with an offer for “an internship in Suffolk County to work on marine fisheries issues.”
     Garvey has recently been featured on the “Ellen” show where AT&T’s “Aspire” Program presented her with a $50,000 check to be used towards her college tuition (she’s considering Yale or Brown universities).
     If this wasn’t enough for the Brentwood High School senior, Long Island U.S. Representative Steve Israel invited Garvey to be his guest at President Obama’s State of the Union address.

Photo courtesy of CBS New York

     “ … I want her to be an example of perseverance in the face of adversity,” Israel said to the New York Daily News.
     Perseverance. Garvey worked very hard, despite her circumstances, to get where she is today. And even though she might not have won the Intel competition, she’s making the best of the situation.
     Garvey said in a CBS news report that she’s okay with not going on to the Intel finals and now wants to combine her passion for science with policy making.
     Consider the average American’s life in comparison to Garvey’s. Most people see an obstacle in their life, and what do they do? Avoid it. They worry about the possibility of failure, the cost of putting in effort and the toll of trying. Garvey, on the other hand, probably only thought about the good that could come out of her efforts or how her hard work could benefit her family.
     “My family’s setbacks are a source of motivation,” Garvey said. “I want to get my family ahead, which is why I do well in school.”
     How many of us can say we’re doing the same?
     Take a lesson from Samantha Garvey. Always remember there’s someone out there with a tougher situation who’s fighting to make their life better. We all need to begin to work harder to achieve our dreams. If Samantha Garvey can overcome her trials in life, I’m sure we can do the same. Persevere and become the person you always dreamed of being.