Human Interest Yale Student Who Grew Up Homeless Reveals How She Achieved Goals: 'Keep Your Eyes on the Prize' Chelesa Fearce's mother experienced a health battle that led to a series of financial difficulties By Susan Young Susan Young Susan Young is a reporter for PEOPLE. She started working for PEOPLE in 2008, covering entertainment, human interest, crime, health and breaking news stories. People Editorial Guidelines Published on May 28, 2020 02:00PM EDT It’s a big leap from homeless teen to Yale medical school student, but perseverance paid off for Chelesa Fearce of Clayton County, Georgia. “Just keep your eyes on the prize,” Fearce, now 24, tells PEOPLE. “You can’t get stuck in the moment and worry about the right now." "You always have to think about your future and what inspires you," she adds. "That’s helped me get through.” Fearce was a fourth grader when her mom, early childhood education teacher Reenita Shephard, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. That began a financial spiral for the mother of four. Chelesa Fearce. Courtesy Chelesa Fearce “People don’t realize it can happen to anybody,” Fearce says. She and her family moved in and out of shelters, hotels and even the family car. For more amazing transformations, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here. Courtesy Chelsea fearce Fearce was determined to be a good role model for her younger siblings. She found inspiration in her late grandmother, struggling with kidney failure and diabetes, who gave Fearce emotional support, and her chemistry teacher. “In high school, it was the first time I had seen a black woman doing science,” Fearce says. “Before I would never had thought I could do science. I knew I was good at it, but at that moment I realized I could actually do it.” Boy, 13, Earns Fourth Associate’s Degree as He Becomes California College’s Youngest Grad Ever In her junior and senior year, Fearce took both high school and college courses, missing out on the free meals she depended on so she could get to her college classes. She not only graduated as valedictorian of her 2013 class with a 4.5 grade average, but was also given a full-ride scholarship — including a meal plan — to Spelman College in Atlanta. RELATED VIDEO: Meet 6 Outstanding High School Seniors Committed to Improving their Communities and the World After graduation, she worked full time for two years at the National Institutes for Health in Bethesda, Maryland, doing research on drugs for neurological and psychiatric disorders. She entered Yale last fall and has set a course to earn both a PhD and medical degree to become a psychiatrist. How to Manage Anxiety and Loneliness During the Coronavirus Pandemic “Psychiatry is something that touches everybody,” Fearce says. “People will be traumatized [after the pandemic], especially those working on the front lines, so they are going to need help." As for her siblings, older sister Chelsea Shelton, 25, earned a degree in criminology after receiving a full college scholarship and now works at the state Department of Juvenile Justice. Younger siblings Nicholas, 12, and Cayleigh, 11, are currently living with their mom, who is in remission and working, in Atlanta.