A southwest Atlanta teen who is living in group home shared her inspiring story ahead of her high school graduation this Thursday. After she was thrown into foster care a few years ago, she wanted children like her to learn from the valuable lessons she has learned the hard way.
"The world doesn't stop just because you suddenly got thrown into foster care. The world doesn't stop because your dad went to jail or just because someone you hold dear is now deceased," Nia Peace Duncan, 18, told FOX 5 while preparing for her graduation speech at Booker T. Washington High School.
Duncan shared that graduating from high school would mean getting out of the group home that has been her shelter after a tragedy hit her life four years ago. She said that she was 14 years old when she was thrown into foster care and was separated from her two younger siblings.
The southwest Atlanta teen recalled that living in group home has initially made her feel sorry for herself until she realized her only ticket out of the foster care is to get a college education. She narrated that the thing that motivated her to persevere is the willingness to set a good example to her younger siblings that she can graduate high school and go to college for free. "I didn't want them to fall into the statistics that kids in foster care fall into," the southwest Atlanta teen stated.
Duncan's perseverance has been paid off. She will not only graduate high school, she also qualified for a $700,000 worth of scholarships.
"It's going to be like stepping into a new world with new opportunities. I know I'm what the world has been waiting for because I am a living witness to what can happen when you overcome life's hardships," she disclosed.
The southwest Atlanta teen also added that she will be reuniting with her younger siblings on her graduation day. She is hoping that her academic success will inspire them to persevere amidst life's test.
According to Children's Rights, a nonprofit organization, around 415,000 children ended in foster care in the U.S. Fourteen percent of these children live in group homes like Duncan.
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