A Texas girl born in a prison surpassed all odds by graduating at the top of her class and enrolling at Harvard University in the autumn.
Aurora Sky Castner was born in the Galveston County Jail eighteen years ago, as her mother was imprisoned at the time of her birth. Her father, who raised her as a single parent, picked up the newborn from the jail. Her mother had no influence on her life.
“I was born in a prison,” Aurora began her application essay.
She collaborated with a professor at Boston University on her application essay, and she was admitted into the Ivy League school through early action, where she hopes to study law.
“He helped me tell my story in the best way possible,” she said to the Houston Chronicle.
Castner also owed her achievement to her mentor, Mona Hamby, whom she met in elementary school at Reeves Elementary School.
“I received a paper on her. Her hero was Rosa Parks, her favorite cuisine was Dairy Queen tacos, and she enjoyed reading. “I thought this little girl sounded bright,” Hamby told the Houston Chronicle. “I still have that piece of paper today.”
“She informed me: “I’ve gone to jail.” “No, that can’t be right,” I remarked to the mentor. “I knew I couldn’t just go to lunch with this kid once a week; she required more.”
When Aurora told Mona Hamby about her childhood and how she missed her mother, and how there has always been a void inside her that made her believe she was not like others and would never be able to achieve her dreams, Hamby decided to teach her more than just school activities. She believed Castner required more personal moments and growth.’
“So Hamby helped Castner with things like picking out glasses and getting her first salon haircut, according to the outlet, while dentists, orthodontists, and other community leaders helped Castner with her teeth and to enjoy important childhood experiences, such as summer camp,” per PEOPLE.
“It was a very different environment than I grew up in and that’s not a bad thing,” said Aurora. “Everything that Mona taught me was very valuable in the same way that everything that I went through before Mona was very valuable.”
Castner visited Harvard University this March with her mentor Hamby and her husband Randy, and the trip reaffirmed her passion for the school and the institute in particular.
“After that trip, I saw her love for the school intensify,” said Hamby.“It was a very different environment than I grew up in and that’s not a bad thing,” Aurora told the Chronicle. “Everything that Mona taught me was very valuable in the same way that everything that I went through before Mona was very valuable.”
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