Before he heads off to college, Orayne Williams should go out on a national tour focused on speaking to children in schools across America. His message would be a simple one: success is possible despite tremendous odds and adversity.

Williams,18, is the perfect spokesman because he's headed to college next year despite having lived in a shelter for the past several months after experiencing family difficulties. He's set to graduate from Bedford Academy this month with an A average and has passed three Advanced Placement exams.

Williams will attend Sullivan County Community College in upstate New York this fall after receiving $15,000 in grants and scholarships. "When I tell people I'm homeless, they're surprised," Williams told the New York Daily News. "Most of the kids at my school still don't know."

Williams was born outside Kingston, Jamaica. Life there was rougher than what he has experienced in the States. There was no water or electricity and often no food. In an effort to escape such debilitating poverty, Williams' mother sent him to live with relatives in Florida but that too turned out not to be an ideal situation.

Williams says the relative he went to live with sold drugs for a living and also abused him. He says school was the only thing that kept him going in those days. "It was like my savior," Williams said. "The only thing I had."Finally, Williams joined his mother and infant half sister in Brooklyn in 2007. That situation too soon turned sour. Williams says that he and his family were homeless, moving from motel to shelter and often sharing the same bed. The tension made the relationship between himself and his mother a terrible one. "It was impossible to focus on school," Williams said. "My mom and I fought like crazy."

Finally, Williams' mother kicked him out, he says. That's when a social worker placed him at a shelter in Brooklyn. He gets up at 5:30 a.m. every morning to get to school on time. The shelter where he lives sends him off with a brown bag lunch.

It was Williams' determination and desire to learn that encouraged others to help him along his journey. Wayne Harris, who works in the Department of Education's Office for Students in Temporary Housing helped Williams apply for college and navigate the maze of getting financial aid. Harris' office was one of the places where Williams was able to use the computers and the phones.

"He touches your heart," said Cluny Lavache, assistant principal at Bedford Academy. "He has a lot of people looking out for him."

This is a great story for so many reasons. The way Williams turned to school, learning and the pursuit of a higher education when his life got rough rather than drugs or crime is such a positive example for young black men.

Too often I hear young black men say 'I gotta do what I gotta do' to explain their illicit activities. Williams is the better example of doing what you have to do because he is doing what it takes to eventually make life better for himself and his family.

It's going to take time to reach his goal but the path Williams' has chosen is certainly better than participating in the destruction of your community and justifying it by citing your individual needs. The path that Williams chose has much better odds of success than stealing or robbing. Too often, the only choice some black men feel they have is to get rich quick or die trying. That sounds alright when put to a hip-hop beat but is tragic when you see a young man laying in a coffin.

Another important aspect of this story is that adults were there to help Williams during his time of need. Imagine if Harris had not reached out to him about expanding his horizons. A more deadly influence could have just as easily slipped in when Williams was at his most vulnerable and desperate.

The positive role models must step up and fill the void. We have to serve as directional signs pointing young people toward the right path, maybe even giving them a lift to their destination.

I won't be surprised if I hear more positive things about this young man in the future. He's already cleared some difficult hurdles and is still running at full speed.

"I feel blessed," Williams said. "So many good things are happening to me."