From Place to Place
On a sunny morning June 1998， twenty-one-year-old Lauralee Summer waited for the start of her graduation ceremony at Harvard University nervously， praying that this time her mother would not be late as usual. However her mother didn't show up even after the ceremony ended. Holding her certificate， she couldn't help recalling those disappointing moments： unable to catch bus on time， late for dinner and so on. Suddenly， she heard someone calling her name. She turned around and found her mother standing behind her， beaming with smile.
That Lauralee Summer's mother loves her is not in question， never has been. But the mother was unable to do what most children take for granted in Lauralee's childhood： set a schedule， make sure she went to school， get meals on the table， and make a stable home. For much of Summer's childhood， mother and daughter moved from shelter to welfare hotel to temporary room to a relative's house. By the time she was 12， they had already moved 12 times.
A Fresh Start
In 1989， they headed east. Summer says her mother told her that Boston “had good schools and was rich with cultural history.” Thus began a stay at shelters， welfare hotels， and rented rooms throughout the Boston area. For the first time in her life， there were rules， regular meals， and order. There Lauralee enrolled in Quincy High School. Lauralee would take her second-hand skateboard all over Quincy： It was free transportation. To give her room to do homework， her mother slept on the couch for the next four years.
Thanks to her teacher， Charles Maclaughlin， Lauralee made decent grades， joined the boys' wrestling team and found a place at Harvard. She wasn't the top student in her high school class （twentieth in a class of 300）， and her SATs weren't perfect （1，450 out of 1，600）。
But her admissions essay set her apart from the multitudes of privileged Harvard kids. “I wrote about my mom mostly， and a little about being homeless，” she says. “I wrote about wanting to help other homeless kids.” “She's special， and someday she'll do something incredible； I really believe that，” says Maclaughlin， “Her mother gave her things that are priceless—a lot of love， and a love of reading.”
For a long time， she felt more comfortable around homeless people than her classmates. “I was with all these students who came from stable families，” she says. “They were brilliant and driven. I thought， I am going to be washed out.” She was on scholarship and grants， working two jobs to pay the bills. Books were too expensive， so Lauralee borrowed them from the library or photocopied chapters.
On Parents' Weekend， Summer's mother took the train， hauling her belongings in several bags through Harvard Square. “From the moment I met her at the T station， where she emerged laden down with her bags and layers of clothes， I knew that my Parents' Weekend would be different from anyone else's，” writes Lauralee. While the other students were dining or shopping with parents， her mum left because she had to check in at the shelter by 6：30 pm.
Forgive and Understand
Toward both her parents， Summer shows an extraordinary ability not only to forgive but to understand. “I wanted to know where the other half of my genes came from，” she says. “Meeting my dad was like being reborn at 19. I can imagine what a hard time he went through when he divorced.” She wrote him a letter when she was a sophomore in college. Her father wrote back right away， and the two have become close. Both father and daughter were surprised at the depth of feeling they discovered for each other， and what they have in common； both are athletic， driven and emotional. He came to her Harvard graduation and made a 14-day cross-country trip with her when she moved to Berkeley.
“I learned to look at the world in different ways and still find joy，” when she talks about her life. “Honestly， I think my life has been so lucky in so many ways.”
女兒當(dāng)自強(qiáng)——走進(jìn)哈佛的窮孩子
四處飄零
1998年6月，一個(gè)陽(yáng)光明媚的早晨，21歲蘿拉莉。薩默忐忑不安地等待著哈佛大學(xué)畢業(yè)典禮的開(kāi)始。她在祈禱著，希望母親這次不會(huì)像往常一樣遲到。然而直到典禮結(jié)束，她的母親還是沒(méi)有出現(xiàn)。手里拿著畢業(yè)證書(shū)，她不由回想起過(guò)去那些令人失望的片刻：不能按時(shí)趕上公共汽車(chē)，晚餐遲到等等。突然，她聽(tīng)到有人喊她的名字。轉(zhuǎn)過(guò)身去，發(fā)現(xiàn)母親就站在她后面，笑逐顏開(kāi)。
她媽媽一直都很愛(ài)她，這是毋庸置疑的。但是，小時(shí)候，媽媽卻無(wú)法給予她大多數(shù)孩子理應(yīng)得到的那種待遇——生活有規(guī)律，可以上學(xué)，三餐無(wú)憂，有一個(gè)穩(wěn)定的家。童年時(shí)代，母女倆居無(wú)定所，從收容所到福利旅館，到臨時(shí)住所，到親戚家，搬來(lái)遷去。到她十二歲時(shí)，她們就已經(jīng)搬了十二次家了。
新的開(kāi)始
1989年，她們向東遷移。薩默說(shuō)媽媽告訴她，波士頓有很多好學(xué)校，有豐富的文化底蘊(yùn)。于是，她們便住在波士頓地區(qū)，棲身于收容所、福利旅館，或租房。她的生活第一次有了規(guī)律，按時(shí)吃飯，一切井然有序了。在那里，蘿拉莉進(jìn)了昆西高中，她總是踏著她的二手滑板在校園內(nèi)穿梭：那可是一種免費(fèi)的交通工具。在隨后的四年里，為了把房間騰出來(lái)給她做作業(yè)，她媽媽一直睡長(zhǎng)沙發(fā)。
幸虧有她的老師查爾斯。麥克拉弗林的幫助，蘿拉莉取得了不錯(cuò)的成績(jī)，加入了男子摔跤隊(duì)，并在哈佛找到了一席之地。高中時(shí)，她的成績(jī)并不拔尖（300名學(xué)生中，她排在第20位），SAT測(cè)試成績(jī)也不是很理想（在1600名考生中名列1450）。
可是，她的入學(xué)作文使她從眾多哈佛學(xué)子中脫穎而出?！拔以谧魑闹袑?xiě)的主要是我媽媽?zhuān)鴮?duì)于流浪生活只是輕描淡寫(xiě)，”她說(shuō)，“我還提到想幫助其他無(wú)家可歸的孩子。”“她與眾不同，總有一天會(huì)干出一番事業(yè)來(lái)。這一點(diǎn)我是堅(jiān)信不移的，”麥克拉弗林說(shuō)，“她媽媽給予了她無(wú)限的愛(ài)，培養(yǎng)了她對(duì)閱讀的熱忱——這些都是無(wú)價(jià)之寶?！?BR> 在很長(zhǎng)一段時(shí)間里，她覺(jué)得與無(wú)家可歸的人在一起要比跟同學(xué)相處更舒心?！拔疑磉叺耐瑢W(xué)都有一個(gè)穩(wěn)定的家庭，”她說(shuō)，“他們個(gè)個(gè)才華橫溢，都有一種緊迫感。我覺(jué)得自己就要被淘汰了?！彼@得了獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金和助學(xué)金，并且打兩份工來(lái)支付學(xué)費(fèi)。書(shū)本太貴，她就從圖書(shū)館借閱，或復(fù)印其中的一些章節(jié)。
每到“雙親周”，薩默的母親就搭火車(chē)過(guò)來(lái)，拖著裝在幾個(gè)袋子中的全部家當(dāng)穿過(guò)哈佛廣場(chǎng)?！爱?dāng)我在月臺(tái)看到她時(shí)，她躬著腰，背著幾個(gè)袋子和層打?qū)拥囊路哪且豢唐?，我就知道我的‘雙親周’肯定會(huì)跟其他同學(xué)有所不同，”蘿拉莉這樣寫(xiě)道。當(dāng)其他學(xué)生跟父母一起吃飯、購(gòu)物時(shí)，她媽媽走了，因?yàn)樗仨氃谙挛?：30之前到收容所報(bào)到。
寬恕與理解
對(duì)于父母，薩默不僅表現(xiàn)出一種超乎尋常的寬容，而且格外的善解人意?！拔蚁胫牢业牧硪话牖蚴菑哪膬簛?lái)的，”她說(shuō)，“在19歲時(shí)，我見(jiàn)到了爸爸，仿佛得到了重生。我能想象得到在離婚時(shí)，他也很痛苦?！贝蠖r(shí)，她給父親寫(xiě)了一封信。而父親也馬上給她回了信，父女倆的距離就這樣拉近了。他們倆都很驚訝：彼此之間感情是如此之深，并且有許多共同點(diǎn)——熱愛(ài)運(yùn)動(dòng)，有緊迫感，情感豐富。哈佛畢業(yè)典禮那天，她父親也來(lái)了。搬到伯克利后，她還和父親一起去進(jìn)行了一次長(zhǎng)達(dá)14天的越野游。
“我學(xué)會(huì)了從不同角度去看待這個(gè)世界，并從中找到了快樂(lè)，”當(dāng)談及人生時(shí)，她這樣說(shuō)道，“坦誠(chéng)地說(shuō)，從多方面來(lái)講，我都是個(gè)幸運(yùn)兒?！?BR>
On a sunny morning June 1998， twenty-one-year-old Lauralee Summer waited for the start of her graduation ceremony at Harvard University nervously， praying that this time her mother would not be late as usual. However her mother didn't show up even after the ceremony ended. Holding her certificate， she couldn't help recalling those disappointing moments： unable to catch bus on time， late for dinner and so on. Suddenly， she heard someone calling her name. She turned around and found her mother standing behind her， beaming with smile.
That Lauralee Summer's mother loves her is not in question， never has been. But the mother was unable to do what most children take for granted in Lauralee's childhood： set a schedule， make sure she went to school， get meals on the table， and make a stable home. For much of Summer's childhood， mother and daughter moved from shelter to welfare hotel to temporary room to a relative's house. By the time she was 12， they had already moved 12 times.
A Fresh Start
In 1989， they headed east. Summer says her mother told her that Boston “had good schools and was rich with cultural history.” Thus began a stay at shelters， welfare hotels， and rented rooms throughout the Boston area. For the first time in her life， there were rules， regular meals， and order. There Lauralee enrolled in Quincy High School. Lauralee would take her second-hand skateboard all over Quincy： It was free transportation. To give her room to do homework， her mother slept on the couch for the next four years.
Thanks to her teacher， Charles Maclaughlin， Lauralee made decent grades， joined the boys' wrestling team and found a place at Harvard. She wasn't the top student in her high school class （twentieth in a class of 300）， and her SATs weren't perfect （1，450 out of 1，600）。
But her admissions essay set her apart from the multitudes of privileged Harvard kids. “I wrote about my mom mostly， and a little about being homeless，” she says. “I wrote about wanting to help other homeless kids.” “She's special， and someday she'll do something incredible； I really believe that，” says Maclaughlin， “Her mother gave her things that are priceless—a lot of love， and a love of reading.”
For a long time， she felt more comfortable around homeless people than her classmates. “I was with all these students who came from stable families，” she says. “They were brilliant and driven. I thought， I am going to be washed out.” She was on scholarship and grants， working two jobs to pay the bills. Books were too expensive， so Lauralee borrowed them from the library or photocopied chapters.
On Parents' Weekend， Summer's mother took the train， hauling her belongings in several bags through Harvard Square. “From the moment I met her at the T station， where she emerged laden down with her bags and layers of clothes， I knew that my Parents' Weekend would be different from anyone else's，” writes Lauralee. While the other students were dining or shopping with parents， her mum left because she had to check in at the shelter by 6：30 pm.
Forgive and Understand
Toward both her parents， Summer shows an extraordinary ability not only to forgive but to understand. “I wanted to know where the other half of my genes came from，” she says. “Meeting my dad was like being reborn at 19. I can imagine what a hard time he went through when he divorced.” She wrote him a letter when she was a sophomore in college. Her father wrote back right away， and the two have become close. Both father and daughter were surprised at the depth of feeling they discovered for each other， and what they have in common； both are athletic， driven and emotional. He came to her Harvard graduation and made a 14-day cross-country trip with her when she moved to Berkeley.
“I learned to look at the world in different ways and still find joy，” when she talks about her life. “Honestly， I think my life has been so lucky in so many ways.”
女兒當(dāng)自強(qiáng)——走進(jìn)哈佛的窮孩子
四處飄零
1998年6月，一個(gè)陽(yáng)光明媚的早晨，21歲蘿拉莉。薩默忐忑不安地等待著哈佛大學(xué)畢業(yè)典禮的開(kāi)始。她在祈禱著，希望母親這次不會(huì)像往常一樣遲到。然而直到典禮結(jié)束，她的母親還是沒(méi)有出現(xiàn)。手里拿著畢業(yè)證書(shū)，她不由回想起過(guò)去那些令人失望的片刻：不能按時(shí)趕上公共汽車(chē)，晚餐遲到等等。突然，她聽(tīng)到有人喊她的名字。轉(zhuǎn)過(guò)身去，發(fā)現(xiàn)母親就站在她后面，笑逐顏開(kāi)。
她媽媽一直都很愛(ài)她，這是毋庸置疑的。但是，小時(shí)候，媽媽卻無(wú)法給予她大多數(shù)孩子理應(yīng)得到的那種待遇——生活有規(guī)律，可以上學(xué)，三餐無(wú)憂，有一個(gè)穩(wěn)定的家。童年時(shí)代，母女倆居無(wú)定所，從收容所到福利旅館，到臨時(shí)住所，到親戚家，搬來(lái)遷去。到她十二歲時(shí)，她們就已經(jīng)搬了十二次家了。
新的開(kāi)始
1989年，她們向東遷移。薩默說(shuō)媽媽告訴她，波士頓有很多好學(xué)校，有豐富的文化底蘊(yùn)。于是，她們便住在波士頓地區(qū)，棲身于收容所、福利旅館，或租房。她的生活第一次有了規(guī)律，按時(shí)吃飯，一切井然有序了。在那里，蘿拉莉進(jìn)了昆西高中，她總是踏著她的二手滑板在校園內(nèi)穿梭：那可是一種免費(fèi)的交通工具。在隨后的四年里，為了把房間騰出來(lái)給她做作業(yè)，她媽媽一直睡長(zhǎng)沙發(fā)。
幸虧有她的老師查爾斯。麥克拉弗林的幫助，蘿拉莉取得了不錯(cuò)的成績(jī)，加入了男子摔跤隊(duì)，并在哈佛找到了一席之地。高中時(shí)，她的成績(jī)并不拔尖（300名學(xué)生中，她排在第20位），SAT測(cè)試成績(jī)也不是很理想（在1600名考生中名列1450）。
可是，她的入學(xué)作文使她從眾多哈佛學(xué)子中脫穎而出?！拔以谧魑闹袑?xiě)的主要是我媽媽?zhuān)鴮?duì)于流浪生活只是輕描淡寫(xiě)，”她說(shuō)，“我還提到想幫助其他無(wú)家可歸的孩子。”“她與眾不同，總有一天會(huì)干出一番事業(yè)來(lái)。這一點(diǎn)我是堅(jiān)信不移的，”麥克拉弗林說(shuō)，“她媽媽給予了她無(wú)限的愛(ài)，培養(yǎng)了她對(duì)閱讀的熱忱——這些都是無(wú)價(jià)之寶?！?BR> 在很長(zhǎng)一段時(shí)間里，她覺(jué)得與無(wú)家可歸的人在一起要比跟同學(xué)相處更舒心?！拔疑磉叺耐瑢W(xué)都有一個(gè)穩(wěn)定的家庭，”她說(shuō)，“他們個(gè)個(gè)才華橫溢，都有一種緊迫感。我覺(jué)得自己就要被淘汰了?！彼@得了獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金和助學(xué)金，并且打兩份工來(lái)支付學(xué)費(fèi)。書(shū)本太貴，她就從圖書(shū)館借閱，或復(fù)印其中的一些章節(jié)。
每到“雙親周”，薩默的母親就搭火車(chē)過(guò)來(lái)，拖著裝在幾個(gè)袋子中的全部家當(dāng)穿過(guò)哈佛廣場(chǎng)?！爱?dāng)我在月臺(tái)看到她時(shí)，她躬著腰，背著幾個(gè)袋子和層打?qū)拥囊路哪且豢唐?，我就知道我的‘雙親周’肯定會(huì)跟其他同學(xué)有所不同，”蘿拉莉這樣寫(xiě)道。當(dāng)其他學(xué)生跟父母一起吃飯、購(gòu)物時(shí)，她媽媽走了，因?yàn)樗仨氃谙挛?：30之前到收容所報(bào)到。
寬恕與理解
對(duì)于父母，薩默不僅表現(xiàn)出一種超乎尋常的寬容，而且格外的善解人意?！拔蚁胫牢业牧硪话牖蚴菑哪膬簛?lái)的，”她說(shuō)，“在19歲時(shí)，我見(jiàn)到了爸爸，仿佛得到了重生。我能想象得到在離婚時(shí)，他也很痛苦?！贝蠖r(shí)，她給父親寫(xiě)了一封信。而父親也馬上給她回了信，父女倆的距離就這樣拉近了。他們倆都很驚訝：彼此之間感情是如此之深，并且有許多共同點(diǎn)——熱愛(ài)運(yùn)動(dòng)，有緊迫感，情感豐富。哈佛畢業(yè)典禮那天，她父親也來(lái)了。搬到伯克利后，她還和父親一起去進(jìn)行了一次長(zhǎng)達(dá)14天的越野游。
“我學(xué)會(huì)了從不同角度去看待這個(gè)世界，并從中找到了快樂(lè)，”當(dāng)談及人生時(shí)，她這樣說(shuō)道，“坦誠(chéng)地說(shuō)，從多方面來(lái)講，我都是個(gè)幸運(yùn)兒?！?BR>