For much of Prince Weeks’s teenage years, he didn’t know whether he’d have a proper meal each day or where he’d sleep at night.
He would often go to hospital emergency rooms and pretend he was sick, he said, just to get a sandwich or snack.
“It was a struggle,” said Weeks, 19.
After years of financial instability and uncertainty, Weeks recently delivered a valedictorian speech to his graduating class at Pathways to Graduation-Staten Island, a New York City Department of Education program that helps students earn their high school equivalency diploma.
During his speech, delivered to 117 fellow graduates along with teachers and family members, he recounted some of his life experiences that led him to the stage.
“I’d like to share my story, which is one of perseverance,” he told the audience on June 22. “Like my fellow graduates, I’ve faced a lot of hardships. Through poverty, discrimination and self-doubt, I kept pushing to make it where I am today.”
“I’ve survived harsh living conditions. I’ve survived homelessness. I’ve survived starvation and times where I almost gave up because I didn’t see a way out,” he continued. “I worried I’d end up dead or imprisoned.”
Weeks was born in Upstate New York and lived with his mother and older sister there until he was 6, when they moved to Georgia.
“We didn’t have a lot of money, but we were getting by,” Weeks said. “We were trying to plant our feet and place our roots in the ground.”
When Weeks was 14, he left Georgia to live with his father. They moved around North Carolina and Virginia, staying with relatives or friends.
“We were just going through struggles and making things work,” Weeks said.
Weeks dropped out of school in 10th grade, hoping to find a job. When Weeks was 18, he and his father moved to New York and his father worked for a ticket company. But the money wasn’t enough to support them, and Weeks couldn’t find a job. They were soon were on the streets.
“We had nowhere to stay,” Weeks said.
They bounced between shelters and friends’ homes — anywhere that would take them, he said.
Before they were accepted for food stamps, Weeks said, there were days they didn’t eat.
In December 2025, a counselor at a city employment center encouraged Weeks to look into Pathways to Graduation. He had always loved school, he said, and he dreamed of attending college. He enrolled.
“I have a large capacity to learn and grow,” he said. “I figured I’d go and I’d try.”
Pathways to Graduation offers free day and evening programs to students in the city ages 18 to 21.
Donny Swanson, the principal of the Staten Island location, said the program is designed for students who have struggled in traditional high school settings.
“It’s not enough to just get your diploma,” he said. “We try to ensure that they receive help with education, employment and independent living so they’re prepared for postsecondary success.”
Students are required to complete four subjects — math, science, social studies and reasoning through language arts — but can move at their own pace. Breakfast and lunch are provided daily.
“Some students need the extra support that can help them get over the barriers they have,” Swanson said. “We make it a welcoming environment and ensure that everyone feels comfortable and ready to learn.”
Weeks completed the program in two months, attending classes five days a week.
“There’s many times where I could have done the wrong thing to make ends meet, but I didn’t want to go down that path and I know I didn’t have to,” he said. “You will always prosper when you put in the hard work and you show up.”
Swanson said Weeks was a standout student, earning high marks on his GED exams and participating in the program’s college and career training offerings.
“He is an inspirational young man who I know is going to be quite successful in the future,” Swanson said. “He is definitely a role model for all students with his focus and motivation.”
Weeks said he was overjoyed in May to learn he would be valedictorian.
“I think they knew they could trust me with such a title,” Weeks said.
Weeks — who is currently living with a family member — got a job as a sanitation worker at LaGuardia Airport in April. He is continuing to work there until he can save up enough money for college, he said. He plans to one day become a scientist.
“I need to make ends meet for now and then I can continue my path to greatness,” he said.
At the podium, Weeks offered his classmates some advice.
“Stay determined and never falter,” he said, “because everyone here has greatness inside of them waiting to be unleashed.”