Preloading

A Homeless Veteran's Journey to Harvard University

Season 5 Episode 502
Aired on 03/08/2015 | CC tv-14
In 2010, Oprah met Alicia Watkins, a retired U.S. Air Force staff sergeant who had served two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and had been working at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. However, after proudly serving her country, Alicia found herself homeless, living out of a car she rented for $10 a day.

Alicia says that after appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show, her friends and family were shocked to discover that she had nowhere to live. "They were also just hurt by the fact that I was suffering," she says. Alicia says she has dealt with many health issues, including traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and a spinal cord injury.

Soon after moving in with a family friend, Alicia started applying to colleges and was accepted at Harvard University in 2012.

Watch the above video to find out how Alicia wants to help other wounded warriors.

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