Homeless teenager gets $3m in college scholarships

A homeless teenager has praised his "support network" after being offered scholarships worth in excess of $3m (£2.36m) along with potential places at more than 40 colleges.

Tupac Mosley, from Memphis, Tennessee, became homeless after his father died in 2017.

The family went through financial difficulties and in February this year, were forced to move into temporary accommodation.

The 17-year-old said sleeping on the floor of motels was one of the lowest point of his life, but he continued to apply himself at school and thanked his "support system" for their role in his achievement.

"If it wasn't for my friends and family, teachers and counsellors who kept me going through it all, I might not be in this position today," he added.

"They gave me the courage to carry on and never give up.

"To see my work in a quantifiable way is so rewarding. It's a great feeling."

At his graduation from Raleigh Egypt High School in Memphis, Tupac thanked his principal and also paid tribute to the director of For the Kingdom, a campsite and non profit organisation where the family were allowed to stay after moving around.

"The director learnt about my situation and he let us stay there while I could raise some money," he explained.

Despite the personal hardships he was facing Tupac remained top of the class. The student's guidance counsellor Lee-anne Cox who helped him with his scholarship and college applications says she is immensely proud of him.

"I've been a guidance counsellor for 11 years and he's the first student I saw get such an overwhelming response," she said.

"He is naturally intelligent and incredibly gifted but it was all down to his perseverance."

But Tupac who moved into his own apartment this week said despite having a choice of colleges to choose from he wants to remain near his friends and family.

"I have an amazing support system here," he explained. "They've helped me to achieve this so I will be staying here close to them."

Tupac has accepted an offer to attend Tennessee State University to study electrical engineering.