Klein Oak senior triumphs despite early hardships

Klein Oak senior Samantha Beasley sets her sights on a new and bright future.

Klein Oak senior Samantha Beasley, 18, entered her senior year with a 3.75 GPA, despite hardships that resulted in a dismal start her first two years.

Beasley barely passed her first two years of high school. She's had many challenges in her life. Beasley grew up in a poor area of South Texas and lived in abusive conditions when she was a child. When she was 15, she was taken from her mother and placed in foster care, where she experienced depression.

She moved to Houston to live with her father during her freshman year of high school, and was in and out of therapy and psychiatric hospitals.

Despite missing so much school her first two years, she managed to catch up on her studies. She credits her father and counselors at Klein Oak for encouraging her to turn her life around.

While catching up on coursework and excelling in her classes, she was elected co-vice president of Health Occupations Students of America, was a member of student council and was captain of the Standleaders, a sort of glee club at Klein Oak, in the past year.

She will join the graduating Class of 2012 on June 2 at Reliant Stadium and obtain her high school diploma, then attend Baylor University in the fall, where she will major in psychology. She received a $40,000 academic scholarship from the university to assist with tuition for four years.