Liz Murray’s Relentless Journey: A Rags To Riches Story

I was looking online for something to inspire and uplift me this morning and literally stumbled upon the story of Liz Murray. I had Googled ‘rags to riches’ and that’s where I found her. She was #9. on the Top 10 Rags to Riches Stories list, a list I never even knew existed. Even if you’re one of those people who doesn’t dream of extreme wealth, her story is one that not only needs to be told, but shared with everyone you know. Liz is one of the people who will show just how far determination, confidence, and perseverance can get you in life, no matter if you start from the very bottom. Her story is about overcoming the odds and reinventing yourself.

She was born in the Bronx. Her family of origin was on welfare and both parents were cocaine addicts. Her mother an HIV-infected drug addict/alcohol and schizophrenic died of AIDS at 42, when Liz was only 15. Her father then abandoned both her and her older sister by moving into a men’s shelter. They now had to fend for themselves. She went to high school and wound up sleeping in subways, park benches, or at a friend’s home. She ate out of garbage cans.

She did not fall into the trap of self-pity. It was a luxury she couldn’t afford in her crime-ridden New York neighborhood. She had lived a life of enabling her parents and spent her nights looking out the window to make sure they returned home safely from scoring drugs. She wrote an essay about her experiences as a homeless teenager and from it she won a New York Times Scholarship for needy students. This would prove to be her ticket out.

She accepted into Harvard University in the fall of 2000. But subsequently left the following year to begin her career in motivational speaking. She wanted to be closer to her sick father so she transferred to Columbia to continue on with her education.

Her life was an inspiration to many and Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story aired on the Lifetime network in 2003. She has been awarded The White House Project Role Model Award, a Christopher Award, as well as the Chutzpah Award, which was given to her by Oprah Winfrey.

In 2010 her book Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard revealed that her older sister graduated from college and become a school teacher for autistic children, and that her father died of AIDS in 2006. She finished her education at Harvard in June of 2009 and continues to take graduate courses to become a clinical psychologist. It is her dream to be able to counsel people from all walks of life.

After years of truancy, sleeping on NYC streets and shoplifting food to survive, she was emotionally and spiritually bankrupt. Now Liz is an American inspirational speaker who speaks out about determination. She believes no matter how hard life is, you have to move on. You must continue to work your way through the battles. She teaches us that she could overcome hardships to achieve success.

Manifest Living is a New York–based company that empowers adults to create the results they want in their own lives. Liz is the founder and director of this amazing organization. Her passion now is to help transform the lives of others. Now that’s what I call relentless!