Sep 7, 2009 9:54 pm US/Central
Chicago Student Gets An A-Plus In Obama's Book
In Speech, President Will Praise 17-Year-Old As Someone Who Used Education To Succeed
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
-
-
Student Shantell Steve, who turns 18 later this week, gets a special nod by President Obama in his speech to the nation's school children.
CBS
When President Obama talks to school children across the country Tuesday, he'll be singling out one student who excelled against all odds.
A fighter. A Chicago kid. Her story will amaze you.
CBS 2's Dana Kozlov tracked her down.
Shantell Steve says she had no idea why a speech writer called her last month. She says she didn't even ask who the speechwriter wrote for. She was just happy to talk about her accomplishments and her love of education.
So you can imagine how surprised she was to find out she's about to become a national example of why school is so important.
Shantell is 17 years old and did not know her mother or father.
She's about to start her senior year at Chicago's Julian High School with goals big enough to overshadow a life of abuse -- often while bouncing from foster home to foster home.
But Shantell's sheer determination and dedication to school and social justice apparently caught the attention of someone in the president's administration. And Tuesday, when he addresses school children across the country, Shantell will be one of three students he'll highlight as examples of pure perseverance.
"It's an amazing opportunity to be one of three kids out of the whole nation," she said. "A lot of people go through a lot of things, but he picked me and I'm really happy and excited about that."
That excitement is still sinking in, as she shares the text of the president's speech with Marilyn Hall, the woman she calls "Godmother." Hall is Shantell's former grade school teacher, who's taken her under her wing over the years. Hall says Shantell deserves the recognition.
Neither she nor Hall knows how Shantell came to the president's attention, although Hall speculates it may have been the president's education secretary, Arne Duncan. Duncan was CEO of Chicago Public Schools.
That's a guess. Now, Shantell and those who love her just want to absorb what they say is an honor. Shantell says it will encourage her even further.
"I feel more determined to graduate, accomplish something and accomplish my main goal in life," she said.
Shantell has a 3.6 grade-point average and wants to go to the University of Wisconsin, study medicine and become an oncologist.
She's still officially considered homeless because she has no permanent address. She'll turn 18 on Friday and considers her mention in Obama's speech to be quite a birthday present.
Shantell can't say enough about how wonderful and supportive her teachers at Julian High School have been and kept her working, even when she wanted to give up.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Jewish Celebrities
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
