New Jersey Teen Who Was Once Homeless Gets Accepted into 17 Colleges

A formerly homeless teenager has received 17 acceptance letters from colleges and will be the first person in his family to attend higher education.

A young New Jersey boy has proved sheer hard work and determination can overcome the direst obstacles.

The 17-year-old will be attending his pick of colleges, after spending most of his life homeless and living in abject poverty.

"My family went through a lot and there has been a lot of people saying, 'you can't do that,' or 'you're not going to achieve this,' and me — getting these acceptances — kind of verifies what I have been saying. I can do it and I will do it,"

A DIFFICULT CHILDHOOD

Dylan Chidick has been dealing with difficulties since he was a tiny child. He moved with his family to the United States from the Caribbean island of Trinidad when he was 7, and became a citizen.

However, the family faced many challenges. Dylan's two younger twin brothers have serious heart conditions, and the family was frequently homeless.

Dylan hopes to study political science, though he hasn't decided which of the 17 colleges he will attend.

WOMEN RISING HELPED THE STRUGGLING FAMILY

The teen's single mother, Khadine Phillip, decided to approach Women Rising for help in improving her family's situation. Women Rising is an organization dedicated to helping vulnerable women become self-sufficient, and they helped the family find a home.

"Making herself vulnerable and putting herself out there, that made me determined to never let us get back in that situation again."

DEDICATED TO HIS STUDIES

Dylan was inspired by his mother's determination to make a better life for her family and threw himself into his studies at Henry Snyder High School. The teen became senior class president and was inducted into the Honor Society.

THE COLLEGE LETTERS STARTED ROLLING IN

Determined to become his family's first college graduate, Dylan started applying to colleges, and to his surprise, the acceptance letters started rolling in

At a time when scandals are breaking over wealthy celebrity parents bribing their privileged children into college, Dylan has received 17 acceptance letters.

Dylan hopes to study political science, though he hasn't decided which of the 17 colleges he will attend.

COLLEGE ADMISSION SCANDALS BLOW UP THE INTERNET

In a sad contrast to Dylan Chidick's inspiring story, the Internet is humming with the news that "Full House" star Lori Loughlin is being investigated for paying a $500,000 to get her two daughters accepted into the University of Southern California.

Loughlin is one of the 50 people who has been indicted by the FBI in an ongoing investigation into irregularities and criminal activities connected to college admissions.

It is not known if Loughlin's daughters Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose will be expelled by the University. USC has revealed that it has started its own internal investigation into the matter.