Samantha Garvey, Homeless Intel Science Competition Semifinalist, Is Dedicated To Helping Her Family Overcome Hardship

(AP)

America is slowly taking notice of the inspirational details that mark the life of a young woman from Long Island named Samantha Garvey, who learned she was a semifinalist in the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search while living with her family in a homeless shelter.

"My daughter is a blessing," said her proud mother, Olga Garvey Coreas, who came to this country to escape El Salvador's civil war in the early 1980s. "I never tire of thanking God for giving her the talent she has. She lives dedicated to her studies -- nothing stops her."

On Tuesday, Garvey is expected to sit in the House of Representatives chamber as President Obama delivers the State of the Union address. She will be a guest of Long Island Congressman Steve Israel, who believes Garvey's story should make all Americans ask themselves how a middle class family with a gifted child could end up homeless.

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