We all have goals — this is a fact that ties us to a common string. But the goals vary. For example, your goal in life could be getting a boyfriend or girlfriend, while another person’s goal is winning a fishing competition. Thankfully, not everyone has the same objective.

What if, for instance, all humans were seeking to be architects? There would be more people appreciating architecture. However, the economic, social, and financial status of the world would crumble. In addition, Earth would be less fascinating, because work conformity would have hit an all-time high.

It is obviously important for a society to have people with different goals, some being more plausible than others. Of course, not everybody accomplishes his or her mission. There are people who try harder than others, motivation being the key to success. With enough dedication, how far shall you get in life? What substantiates the notion that motivation is “the key to success?”

Dawn Loggins, previously an 18-year-old homeless girl, can silently answer the questions with her journey to top-notch academic success. As a result of achieving her target, she has cascaded inspiration down upon many people. I hope people shower in the inspiration for years to come. While attending a prestigious scholarship program last summer, Loggins called home, discovering that the house phone had been disconnected. Her mother and stepfather had left the state and dropped her grandmother off at a homeless shelter. The teen came home where there was neither running water nor electricity. In fact, she had informed teachers of needing candles for studying light.

Despite no power and water, Dawn Loggins came to school before the other students to do janitorial work. She would take Advanced Placement and Honors classes for seven hours, study until two a.m., and get up exceptionally early to use the same game plan the next day. The adolescent persisted in her unwavering motivation. In an interview with WBTV, she said: “I just made the decision that I was not going to end up like my parents.” Her parents had been drug abusers living “pay check to pay check.”

This was a rare instance in which darkness created light. She chose to rise above the dark family standard. She decided to put on a metaphorical jetpack and fly to a better life. Once notified of her unstable home life, teachers and staffers helped her have fresh clothes and a place to live. The community was very helpful, and later worked to get her into a college.

The school’s history teacher, Larry Gardner, wrote a recommendation letter for Dawn. In it, he said: “This young lady has, unlike most of us, known hunger. She’s known abuse, neglect; she’s known homelessness and filth. Yet she’s risen above it all to become such an outstanding young lady.”  Throughout the letter, he told her unusual story.

Months passed, as acceptance letters to state colleges pouring in. One day an envelope stamped with the Harvard seal arrived. She opened it curiously. The envelope turned out to house an acceptance letter to the most prestigious American university: Harvard University. Because she was ambitious and non-conforming to her home environment, she overcame the odds. Dawn Loggins went from homeless to the Ivy League.

This girl, along with anyone like her, should be the contemporary archetype of academic success. When those of you in preparation for the new school year don’t feel like studying in your homes — which most likely have electricity and water — think of Dawn Loggins. Think of the girl who studied in front of candlelight, the girl who didn’t put her school books down until two in the morning, the girl who woke up at five a.m. to do janitorial work, and the homeless girl who fought through the proverbial rain to become an Ivy League student.

This story proves the timeless creed that hard work pays off.

(Lee is a senior at Fayetteville High School who lives in Hilltop.)