Formerly homeless, Liz Murray transformed her life of despair into an inspiring journey of determination, hope and hard-won success.

The child of drug-addicted parents who routinely ate from dumpsters and sought refuge at all-night subway stations to survive, Liz Murray was homeless at age 15—and fending for her life. Determined not to be defined by her circumstances, she recognized education as the key to a fresh beginning and a whole new way of living. She earned her high school diploma in just two years and won a scholarship to Harvard University that would turn her bleak circumstances into a future filled with limitless possibility. With sincerity, maturity and graciousness, Murray takes audiences along on her personal journey from street smarts to classroom triumphs, instantly becoming an inspiration to both student groups and business audiences alike in need of the motivation to overcome their own obstacles. The subject of Lifetime Television’s Emmy-nominated original film, Homeless to Harvard, Murray completed her degree at Harvard in 2009. Her memoir, Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard (2010), was an instant success making the New York Times’ best-seller list the first week of release.