Homeless to Harvard

By George P. Hassett

At the Dunkin' Donuts on Somerville Avenue Maude Jones prepares coffee, breakfast sandwiches and makes change for customers. It is a long way from the violent, war-torn life she knew in Liberia where child soldiers with rifles were a familiar sight and gunfire a common sound.

And it is even further from the life she will know in September when she begins college at Harvard after spending the last two years as a homeless teenager living in a group home.

“Maude has an amazing story,” said Dan McLaughlin, a youth counselor at the Center for Teen Empowerment, who has worked with Jones. “I'm just waiting for someone to make the movie version of her life.”

Jones remembers the precise day she arrived in the United States from Liberia with her family - March 21, 2005. She started school in her new country as a sophomore at Malden High School and passed the dreaded MCAS exam five days later.

But by her senior year, Jones' family was on their way back to Africa after her father's home went into foreclosure. Knowing what life held in store for her in Liberia - an end to her education and few opportunities beyond teenage marriage and motherhood - Jones  decided to stay in America.

With her family on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, Jones moved into ShortStop, a group home for homeless teenagers on Broadway. “Nobody wants to live in a shelter,” she said. “But I was safe, I had my own room and I was so busy with work and school I wasn't there much.”

Every morning she would wake up at 6 a.m. to get to school at Malden High by 7:45. When she left school at 2:15 p.m. she got on an Orange Line train to make it to her job at Dunkin' Donuts in downtown Boston by 3. She worked a seven hour shift then returned to ShortStop to study and do homework.

“I didn't stay back in America to play,” she said of her grueling schedule. “My whole life growing up in Liberia was violence. I saw people shot, killed, raped in the streets. I would do anything to escape that, going to work and to school all day was easy compared to living that life.”

The hard work paid off and Jones graduated second in her class. When it came time to apply to college, Jones said she limited her options to schools she could commute to by train.

“In Liberia there is only college. I didn't know in this country some were considered bigger or better than others,” she said.

With a stop on the Red Line, Harvard was among the schools she applied to. But when she was accepted, staff members at ShortStop say she was unfazed.

“She was really passé about it,” said ShortStop Assistant Director Michelle McWilliams. “We were in shock when she told us, our jaws just dropped. We tried to explain to her what a big deal Harvard was but she just shrugged it off.”

Jones said she has been surprised by the interest her acceptance has received. When Renee Morgan, a ShortStop staff member brought her to a hair salon and announced the accomplishment, Jones was embarrassed, but grateful, for the attention.

“She was like a big sister,” Jones said. “She bragged about me everywhere we went.” 

With a plan to major in broadcast journalism, Jones said her enrollment at Harvard in the fall is just one more step in her journey from Liberia. “Life just moves on for me. [Getting into Harvard] doesn't make me any better than my friends who are going to Salem State. I just keep it cool.”

Comments

[JPM]

Congratulations to Maude. I am glad all your hard work has paid off. The youth of Somerville could learn alot from this young lady.

[It is good]

Congratulations to our little friend here. Legal immigration is a good thing. Hopefully, she'll make it. So, let's wait for that before making a movie.

[Ed]

How many of the yuuuufffff of Somerville moaning at the conference the other day work as hard as this girl??? Not many I bet.

"The harder you work, the luckier you get."

[Paradox]

I'm not sure what Danny's role in this was, probably just getting his name on the SN and getting credit for it. I don't know the details, but it does seem that this kid is very smart, determined and works very hard. So, she deserves all the credit.
Danny, you say that she should be a role model for all youth in Somerville. I agree with that. But, do you see the paradox and your double talk? She will become one of those same huppies you so much despise. One day, she may be one of those yuppies who comes to Somerville and buys a high priced condo, pushing out people such as yourself.
So, Danny boy, you are full of crap, you are one of those wannabe left ideologues who hate middle class Americans who have achieved the American dream, but at the same time make immigrants and poor folks who are trying to achieve that same dream into heroes. The bottom line with you, Danny, is that you are basically very envious and bitter about what others have that you don't, even though this was your choice of life. And you desperately want to be seen as somebody who makes a difference. Doesn't matter if you have to lie in the process of doing so or whose ass you have to kiss. You are much worse than the yuppies in Somerville. Idiot.

[Mike]

As a so-called "yuppie" condo owner I agree with Paradox's comments. I think the hatred of "yuppie" condo owners in Somerville is pure envy and is born out of a common misconception.

If anyone actually bothered to tak to condo owners they would find that they are normal people who worked very hard to get where they are.

Their is a common misocnception that we are rich people who were born into money and just got everything handed to us on a silver platter. (Sure, there are people like that.....but they are unlikely to be living in Somerville! Try Back Bay or Beacon Hill or Lexington!!)

I had a normal background. My mom was a single parent that raised 2 kids on a flight attendent's salary. I went to public school, undergrad and then grad school. I can afford a nice place but I have worked hard and sacrificed alot to get where I can finally enjoy the fruits of my labors. I am thankful for that.

[Somer_Salted]

Paradox, I know Danny...he's no leftist idealogue, he doesn't hate the middle class, he's no ass kisser! There is nothing envious and hateful about Danny. Look at his good work with Teen Empowerment.

And he's a yuppie hater? Well, local yuppies gave the youths at Lexington Park a lot of unwarranted grief just about being there! Yet he and his brothers worked hard to help make Lexington Park a place where ALL would be welcome, native Somerville people AND yuppies.

So, don't mouth off about what you don't know. And you sound more than a little envious and hateful yourself....

[Ron Newman]

Why is all this hate being directed at the McLaughlins in the comments to this and other articles? They do a lot of good for Somerville, and this article is an example.

[AHA]

"How many of the yuuuufffff of Somerville moaning at the conference the other day work as hard as this girl??? Not many I bet."

well maybe if you took the time out to actually go instead of sitting in front of your computer typing nonsense you would know if we worked as hard or that she was supposed to have a speech in the the show, so would she have been moaning too? ohh and very clever"yuuff" aha. yuppie

[Medford/Somerville Man]

This is a great story. Why are people blogging about Danny and yuppies under this article. Losers! Congradulations Maude! You obviously deserve your success

[wardyward]

i don't "get" the Danny comments?
This is a positive story and the girl deserves
admiration and respect.

[look]

the Danny comments are just some dick heads trying to get under his skin because he said he wouldn't comment back to the negitive comments.This is a great story.