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Homeless Children's Education Fund honors 2 local students with scholarships

PITTSBURGH — Imagine being a high school student trying to get your homework done, study for exams and prepare for the SATs, all while being homeless.

That’s the reality for hundreds of teens right here in Western Pennsylvania.

On Thursday, a few of those students were honored with scholarships that will help them attend college in the fall.

Matthew Hill and Veronica Hickman both overcame huge odds to make it to Thursday’s awards ceremony.

They both received $2,500 scholarships from the Homeless Children’s Education Fund.

“I would like to thank the homeless organization for selecting me and taking time out to hear my story,” Hickman said.

Hickman, who was in and out of homeless shelters throughout her grade school years, just graduated from Brashear High School and is planning on attending Edinboro in the fall.

“I always wanted to go to college. Since I was young, I thought about going to college and getting a better education,” Hill said.

Hill is planning on attending Clarion University in the fall.

“The real goal of the organization is to help kids so they don’t fall behind and so they stay current with their peers and remain successful in school,” said Bill Wolfe, of the Homeless Children’s Education Fund.

In Allegheny County, there are more than 1,800 school-aged children who are homeless. In the state, there are more than 19,000.