Kid Who Had to Bike to College is Determined to Succeed

Let’s face it, sometimes nothing can you more hyped up than hearing an inspiring story about another individual’s willpower to succeed. Have a hard time waking up early? Just think about Kobe Bryant, and how he would wake up at 4 or 5 in the morning to do basketball drills because he was that stressed out about not being the best. Worried about your weaknesses? Just envision the story of a young Tiger Woods, and how he would deliberately go out to practice his golf stroke every time it rained so he’d be on his game no matter what the weather was. If getting your head into those books is becoming a drag, now you can think about the college freshman who would literally go to hell and back to get a quality education.

Fred Barley, a 19-year-old freshman, was accepted to Gordon State College in Barnesville Georgia for the Fall semester of 2016. Being a homeless teenager whose parents aren’t around to help him, Barley, once at Gordon State to register for classes in July, had nowhere to call home until his dormitory opened in August. The only option Fred had was to bike over 6 hours from his hometown in Conyers Georgia to Gordon State’s campus, set up a tent, and stay there until he found a job in the area. Police quickly found Barley, and when explaining his situation, things took a turn for the better. The police who found him offered him a motel to stay in until they could help him find a more permanent place to live. Word quickly spread around the community about Fred’s determination to go to school, and within a few days, his story took to the internet and spread like wildfire. Now, Fred Barley, who was homeless and taking out student loans to help him in his journey to becoming a doctor, has a job and over $150,000 in donations from people all over the country who were inspired by his drive. So next time you got some lead in the butt during your morning commute, just keep in mind there’s people literally willing to go to the ends of the Earth to achieve their dream.