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Liz Murray

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Elizabeth Murray (born September 23, 1980) is an American memoirist and inspirational speaker who is notable for having been accepted by Harvard University despite being homeless in her high school years.[1][2] Her life story was chronicled in Lifetime's television film Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story (2003).[3] Murray's memoir Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard, published in 2010 is a New York Times Bestseller.[3]

Liz Murray
Murray in 2013
Born (1980-09-23) September 23, 1980 (age 44)
New York City, New York, U.S.
EducationHarvard University (BS)
Columbia University (MS)
Occupation(s)Teacher, motivational speaker

Early life and education

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Murray was born on September 23, 1980, in the Bronx, New York[4] to poor and drug-addicted parents, both of whom would later contract HIV.[5] She was surrounded by drug use from an early age and lived in an unclean environment. She was often hungry and ate ice cubes because it felt like eating.[6] When she was about 9 years old, Murray began working jobs at gas stations and supermarkets to earn money for groceries.[7] Her parents split up in 1994 when she was 14, Her mother and sister moved in with her grandfather.[4] Murray lived with her father until their neighbor called the social services, who took her in custody for her own protection for 35 days.[7] During this time her father got evicted from their apartment.[8][7] Murray, her mother and sister Lisa lived with her mother's father (Liz's and Lisa's grandfather) for a few years, but at the age of 13 Murray was put in a group home for a while.[8][9]

She became homeless just after she turned 15, when her mother died of AIDS in 1998 and her father moved to a homeless shelter.[4] She wanted to turn her life around and finish her education.[7] She found a job door-to-door soliciting donations in support of political initiatives. Murray knew her survival depended on the job, so she ended up breaking all the sales records of the company, and made more than $8000 in two months.[7]

Despite her late high school start and lack of a stable home, Murray began attending the Humanities Preparatory Academy in Chelsea, Manhattan, graduating in two years.[10] Murray earned a 95 average and graduated at the top of a class of 158.[1] She was awarded a scholarship by The New York Times for needy students and was accepted into Harvard University,[1] matriculating in the fall semester of 2000.[11] A story profiling the scholarship winners was published on the cover of The New York Times' metro section in March 1999.[1] Readers of the story brought Murray clothing and food, and offered to do her laundry.[12]

She transferred from Harvard to Columbia University in 2003 to care for her ailing father.[13] She earned a Bachelor of Science in psychology in June 2009.[14] As of August 2009, she began taking graduate courses at Harvard Summer School with plans to earn a doctorate in clinical psychology and become a counselor.[15] Her older sister Lisa graduated from Purchase College in New York and is a school teacher for children with autism.[16]

Career

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Murray is the co-founder of a youth mentoring organization called "The Arthur Project," which was named in honor of her first mentor.[17] She also works as an inspirational speaker with the Washington Speakers Bureau since 1999.[18][19][20] Murray has been a speaker at events alongside Tony Blair, Mikhail Gorbachev and Dalai Lama.[21] Murray made a speech at the annual conference of the Washington State Coalition for the Homeless at the Yakima Convention Center in 2007.[22] In March 2009, she told her story to 1,400 students at Worcester Technical High School in Worcester, Massachusetts.[23] In September 2012, she gave a TED Talk called "For the Love of Possibility" at TedxYouth @San Diego.[24]

Murray served as a co-producer in Lifetime's television film Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story (2003) starring actress Thora Birch.[25][26] The film chronicled Murray's life story and it received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including one for Outstanding Television Movie and one for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie.[27] Murray made a brief cameo appearance in the film as a social worker.[13] Murray's story has also been featured on ABC's 20/20 and she has appeared as a guest on The Ricki Lake Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show.[28][12][29] During her appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Murray reflected on what she learned from her parents: "They taught me that resilience is actually flexibility; it taught me that gratitude is knowing everything you have, you could just as easily not have it, and it taught me that the basis of forgiveness is often knowing that things aren’t personal and we all have limitations and people can’t give you what they don’t have."[30]

Murray's memoir Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard was published by Hachette Books in 2010.[31] The book landed on The New York Times Best Seller List within a week of its release and became an international bestseller published in twelve countries, in eight languages.[31] The book received favorable reviews from critics, with Kirkus Review calling it an "admirable story of a teen who overcame homelessness through sheer grit and the kindness of friends."[32]

Murray has received numerous accolades and awards, including the White House Project's Role Model Award, Oprah Winfrey’s first-ever Chutzpah Award in 2004 and Alex Award in 2011.[33][34][17] Winfrey's Chutzpah Award is given to women, who show boldness and courage, go against the odds and have achieved greatness.[35] In 2008, she received Appalachian Women’s Fund's Women of Vision Award.[36] On May 19, 2013, she was awarded an honorary doctorate of public service and gave the commencement address at Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts.

Awards and nominations

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Awards and nominations received by Liz Murray
Year Work Award Result
2003 Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie Nominated
2004 Christopher Awards Won
2004 Herself Chutzpah Award Won
2008 Women of Vision Award Won
2011 Breaking Night Alex Awards Won

Bibliography

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Books

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  • —— (2010). Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard. Hachette Books. ISBN 9780786868919.

Authored articles

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Kennedy, Randy (1999-03-03). "Six Whose Path to Excellence Was on the Mean Streets of Adversity". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  2. ^ "'Homeless to Harvard:' Child of Addicts Counsels Youth in Spirituality". ABC News. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  3. ^ a b "Co-Founder's Story – The Arthur Project". Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  4. ^ a b c Frankel, Bruce; Hewitt, Bill (2000-07-24). "Against All Odds". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  5. ^ K, Shanthi. "Liz Murray - From Homeless to Harvard". www.stumagz.com. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  6. ^ "How Liz Murray went from homelessness to Harvard". BBC News. 2011-02-08. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Homeless To Harvard: How Liz Murray's Choices Changed Her Life". DoerLife. 2019-05-16. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  8. ^ a b "Interview: Liz Murray On Movie About Her Life, Plans For Future (April 13)". WNBC. 2006-07-05. Archived from the original on 5 July 2006. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  9. ^ "BBC World Service - Programmes - From homeless to Harvard". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  10. ^ McKelvey, Tara (2010-09-08). "Unsentimental Education". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  11. ^ "THRIVEnet Story - From Homeless to Harvard - Liz Murray's Story". www.thrivenet.com. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  12. ^ a b "Everyone Can Draw Lessons from Ubben Lecturer Liz Murray's Remarkable Journey -- 'Homeless to Harvard'". DePauw University. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  13. ^ a b "Houghton Mifflin". college.cengage.com. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  14. ^ Master Student Hall of Fame - Liz Murray
  15. ^ Meg Hagerty (2009-08-03). "'Homeless to Harvard' subject to speak at local benefit". Poststar.com. Retrieved 2010-10-18.
  16. ^ Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness. B. Ward, 2000.
  17. ^ a b "Liz Murray — EO XCentric 2022 — EO XCentric September 19-21, 2022 in Cincinnati, Ohio". www.eoxcentric.com. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  18. ^ "One Woman's Journey From Homeless To Harvard". NPR.org. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  19. ^ "Liz Murray". APB Speakers. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  20. ^ "Liz Murray". No Barriers. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  21. ^ "Liz Murray: 'My parents were desperate drug addicts. I'm a Harvard graduate'". the Guardian. 2010-09-25. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  22. ^ "Advocates hear story of a life turned around | Yakima Herald-Republic Online". 2008-08-29. Archived from the original on 2008-08-29. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  23. ^ "Liz Murray's Homeless To Harvard Story Inspires Worcester Tech Students - wbztv.com". 2009-03-22. Archived from the original on 22 March 2009. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  24. ^ Liz Murray - For the Love of Possibility (TEDxYouth), 12 September 2012, retrieved 2021-12-04
  25. ^ Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story, retrieved 2021-12-03
  26. ^ Eakin, Emily (2003-04-07). "TELEVISION REVIEW; A Girl on the Street Finds a Path to the Ivy League". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  27. ^ Gans, Andrew (July 17, 2003). "2003 Emmy Nominations Announced; Newman Nominated for Our Town". Playbill. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  28. ^ "The Woman Who Went from Homeless to Harvard Has Started a Family of Her Own". Oprah.com. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  29. ^ "Liz Murray". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  30. ^ Londono, T. (2020-03-02). ""Cause You Can't Stop the Hustle": Liz Murray's Bronx Success Story". The Literary Bronx. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  31. ^ a b "Breaking Night by Liz Murray – review". the Guardian. 2011-01-30. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  32. ^ BREAKING NIGHT | Kirkus Reviews.
  33. ^ SKUENN (2012-01-23). "Alex Awards 2011". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  34. ^ "starbulletin.com | Features | /2006/03/28/". archives.starbulletin.com. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  35. ^ "Oprah's Chutzpah Awards". Oprah.com. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  36. ^ "High Country Press". 2008-10-14. Archived from the original on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
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