This man’s life could be a movie.
Shannon Lytle grew up in ‘a part of Ohio’ that the greats don’t usually come from. He was an excellent student in a poorly performing high school, a hard worker at a minimum wage job and played the part of a parent when still a kid himself. Shannon started at the bottom, but he has worked his way to the top… and the following is his incredible first hand story.
In high school, I flipped burgers at McDonald’s so I could afford the privilege of taking the SAT.
I fed and cared for my three baby siblings until they went to sleep and stayed up until 4am to do my homework. I walked home through a dangerous part of the city after extracurriculars because I couldn’t afford a car.
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I stuck my laptop out of my window at night to steal my neighbor’s wifi and finish my schoolwork. I was scoffed at and told, “from this part of Ohio, only the children of doctors and lawyers get to go to Ivy League Schools.”
In college, I panicked when my laptop broke because I had worked 150 minimum wage hours to buy it.
I scrubbed toilets, shelved books, and sold clothing so I could chase my dreams and travel the world. Throughout my life, I have maneuvered and begged for every kind of subsidy and coupon. I’m the son of a warehouse worker and an immigrant; a first generation student.
Today, I graduated from Harvard.
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After hearing Shannon’s story and all that he has faced we should be reminded to chase our dreams no matter what. When everyone told him it was impossible, Shannon managed to graduate from one of the most prestigious schools in the world.
No matter how farfetched or unlikely your dreams may seem, hard work and dedication can yield incredible things.
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