From homeless to college student, the story of a local Columbus boy who defied the odds

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — The United Negro College Fund kicked off their Columbus Campaign by inviting locals to hear a student testimonial.

Lemmon Turner is currently a sophomore at Tuskegee University. Here, he pursues a degree in psychiatric nursing and participates in the JROTC program.

However, Turner did not have the traditional route of becoming a college student.

In testimony he gave at the UNCF kickoff, Turner invited guests to listen to his story.

Turner grew up with separated parents who struggled to provide for him and his five siblings.

“One of the main reasons why I am determined to work in the field of psychiatric nursing is that my mother suffered from mental illnesses and worked tirelessly to address them. Still the weight of her illness often left us teetering on the brink of being split up.”

Lemmon Turner, Sophomore at Tuskegee University

His older sister sacrificed her dreams to take on the role of caregiver.

“Despite my sister’s best efforts our family found ourselves facing the harsh reality of homelessness without a permanent place to live. As you might imagine, it was a dark time marked by fear and uncertainty.”

Lemmon Turner, Sophomore at Tuskegee University

Turner says with faith and hope he believed his family would find stability and opportunity.

His hope became a reality when Turner was given the opportunity to attend Tuskegee University.

The United Negro College Fund awarded Turner three scholarships. The scholarships have allowed Turner to get higher education debt free.

At the United Negro College Fund Columbus Campaign Kickoff, the commissioner of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Dr. Anthony Holloman was invited as the keynote speaker. He left a message that rang true for Turner.

“We all know that we have to take what we’ve been given and do what we can to better our lives.”

Dr. Anthony Holloman, Commissioner of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

Turner will commission into the Army as an officer once he completes his studies at Tuskegee University.

Turner told News 3 he hopes the generation that comes after him will be inspired by his story.

“It felt good to basically be that role model to somebody, be that person is doing what they want to do and not too far along with it. It’s like, ‘oh, they already do that.’ They don’t want to understand what I’m going through, and I just went through it. So it’s kind of important. And they have that reason to get to where they want to go.

Lemmon Turner, Sophomore at Tuskegee University

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WRBL.