… Carson was homeless by the time she was 12 and began staying at Preble Street’s Lighthouse Teen Shelter in Portland. Even during that time, however, the guardian’s encouragement was enough to keep Carson from following others at the shelter who spent days aimlessly. Carson knew if she was going to be a lawyer she had to keep attending school.
"I spent my days at school and the Preble teen center," she said. "I still had a long way to go until I found my forever home. Every time I wanted to give up I heard her saying, ‘You can do this. You just have to work.’"
