Homeless to Hopkins

"I wish I could just die," I said to myself as my teeth chattered and my body shook with cold. Knowing I would probably still wake in the morning with my hair frozen to the door, I curled up in a ball, trying to find some warmth in the car that was my bedroom. Sadness consumed me like an infection; it had become the norm for me to wake up every day feeling broken.

Most nights like this, all I could hope for was to die in my sleep to be rid of the pain. Despite the terrible nights, I still w...