Monday's Washington Post features an inspiring story about Ashley White, a recent graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C. As a middle schooler, Ashley competed in the National Spelling Bee and was featured in the documentary Spellbound. By 18, though, Ashley had gone through a number of foster homes and found herself living in a homeless shelter with her newborn daughter.

The Post ran a story on Ashley in 2004; in an amazing display of community support, readers offered her financial support, jobs and mentoring. With their help, and through a series of part-time jobs of her own, Ashley was able to attend Howard, where she just graduated magna cum laude. In addition, one of those part-time jobs, at a nonprofit advocacy and support group for teen parents in the D.C. area, will now be full-time, as Ashley prepares to attend graduate school.

For more on Ashley White's remarkable story, you can visit her Web site; we at Scholarship America salute her efforts, and those of her community.