A Homeless Teen Named National Science Prize Finalist is Given Housing and Help

By Good News Network Monday, January 16, 2012

A dedicated marine biology student at a Long Island High School learned she was named one of 61 finalists for the $100,000 Intel Science prize just days after her family was forced to move into a homeless shelter.

Now, thanks to news reports on TV and print, the 17-year-old student and her family have been flooded with offers of help, including a 3 bedroom home available soon from Suffolk County Social Services and money from a kind stranger to retrieve the beloved family pets from an animal shelter.

Samantha Garvey's intensive 6-years of research on mussel ecosystems led to her invitation to the prestigious national science competition and the worldwide attention on the fact that she and her family of five moved into a homeless shelter after their eviction on New Year's Eve.

She said she never thought her biggest worries would be eliminated in a day. The family pets, including a dog, cat and turtles were also invited to move into the Long Island rental home, once repairs are completed in ten days..

Her mother told her: "Sammy, this is all because of you."

(READ the story in NewsDay, and WATCH the video about the science prize)