From Homeless Student To College Graduate

For most students, school is place to learn and socialize with friends. But it can mean much more for kids who don't have a home. In Texas, more than 65,000 students are considered homeless.

By the time she was 17 years old, Crystal Lovings had bounced from her father to her grandmother to child protective services to her mother to an abusive boyfriend. And then the streets. She was sleeping at a bus stop when she learned of a shelter for young adults, Covenant House Texas. She started to live there and also volunteer with Michael Blockson, a prevention specialist.

Lovings recently graduated from the University of Houston with a double major in finance and entrepreneurship. She continues to work with Blockson at Covenant House Texas, where they "search and rescue" homeless youth.

In the latest installment of Inside the Classroom, Lovings talks with Blockson about what school meant to her and her journey from homelessness to college graduation.

(Above: Crystal Lovings met Michael Blockson at Covenant House Texas when she became homeless and sought help there. Now they work together. They go on the streets to “search and rescue” youth and also talk to students in schools about at-risk behavior.)