Few people can say they’ve come out of homelessness and still have achieved many great things.
Brooke Moreland-Williams, 24, has accepted membership into The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS).
“It just really made me feel favored and it made me feel honored that I would be selected for such an organization,” said Moreland-Williams.
NSCS is an honor society that offers scholarships, networking resources, service opportunities and more, through a lifetime membership.
Membership into NSCS is based on a student’s grade point average, class standing and is by invitation only. Students become eligible in their first or second year of college.
Moreland-Williams is a 2013 graduate of Indiana University Bloomington where she received her Master’s in Higher Education and Student Affairs.
“I decided to get my master’s degree, because I ultimately want to obtain my doctoral degree. Getting my master’s degree is one step toward obtaining my top goal of serving as the vice president of student affairs or the dean of the school of education for a university or college,” said Moreland-Williams.
While working to complete her master’s degree, she was inducted into the Pi Lambda Theta Education Honor Society, was selected to present at the 2013 Indiana Association for Intuitional Research Conference, oversaw Adopt-A-Non-Profit Program for Indiana University Residential Services and the list goes on.
She attended Butler University for her undergraduate studies and was president of the Butler International Club, served three years as a residence assistant and founded a college mentor program called the Rose of Hope Foundation.
Though she is on her path to success, the journey to where she is now was not easy.
Beginning in 2005 while attending Broad Ripple High School, Moreland-Williams, her two younger brothers and her mother were homeless after her mother left a domestic abuse relationship.
Her family stayed in places like the Dayspring Center, the Julian Center, the Salvation Army shelter and sometimes in the family van.
Determined not to let her homelessness define her, Moreland-Williams continued to work hard in high school to beat the odds.
Her grades actually improved. None of her teachers or friends knew she was homeless.
“I stayed focused, because being homeless was inspirational…I did not want to live in poverty anymore. I learned that education was the key to ensure that I will be able to take care of my mother and the children I want in the future,” said Moreland-Williams.
Together, the family continued to move forward as they searched for stability and a place to stay.
Her family bounced back when they saw advertisements about Red Maple Grove, a community for families in transition looking for a new home.
“I feel like she has paved the way for her younger brothers and that she has stood as a role model for other younger people who’ve been through different situations and are not able to overcome obstacles in their way,” said her mother, Shona Moreland.
As a result of her struggles, Moreland-Williams received the first place $15,000 Kiwanis Abe Lincoln Scholarship in 2007. The scholarship is awarded to high school seniors who overcame significant obstacles in their lives.
Moreland-Williams has also accepted an offer to work as a residence hall manager at Indiana University.
“She worked very hard to become a college graduate and then to go forward with graduate work and now into the professional world in the field of higher education administration. One thing I will say is that I am very happy to look at Brooke as a true model for what a student should strive to do,” said Dr. Jim Keating, Mooreland-Williams’ former professor and mentor.
