By Erin Murray, News 13 reporter
The pair are getting ready to graduate from Evans High School next Wednesday. And both are accepted into colleges for the coming Fall.
“Congratulations on your acceptance to Morehouse College,” said O’Neil, holding the acceptance letter.
College is a dream he has had for a very long time.
“This is where I want to be,” he grinned, thinking about Morehouse.
However, college was not always in his plans.
“At one point in time I was a student who was known as an MVP, which is a student who is classified as homeless,” said O’Neil. “I lived being homeless, I lived being around drugs, I lived that lifestyle. I knew what that was because it was around me and I said to myself, ‘I want to have better.'”
Rendel will be going to Valencia College. And like O’Neil, there was a point in his life he did not think college would be possible to attend or even get into college.
“It’s hard out there, once you go down the wrong path, it’s hard to steer to the right path,” said Rendel.
He remembers hanging out with a rough crowd in his younger years. He said they encouraged him not to study, but to live a life of crime. He said during this he had an epiphany.