Liz Murray

Inspirational Speaker & Best-Selling Author

Liz Murray

Inspirational Speaker & Best-Selling Author

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Biography

Formerly homeless, Liz Murray transformed her life of despair into an inspiring journey of determination, hope and hard-won success.

The child of drug-addicted parents who routinely ate from dumpsters and sought refuge at all-night subway stations to survive, Liz Murray was homeless at age 15—and fending for her life. Determined not to be defined by her circumstances, she recognized education as the key to a fresh beginning and a whole new way of living. She earned her high school diploma in just two years and won a scholarship to Harvard University that would turn her bleak circumstances into a future filled with limitless possibility. With sincerity, maturity and graciousness, Murray takes audiences along on her personal journey from street smarts to classroom triumphs, instantly becoming an inspiration to both student groups and business audiences alike in need of the motivation to overcome their own obstacles. The subject of Lifetime Television’s Emmy-nominated original film, Homeless to Harvard, Murray graduated from Harvard, and went on to receive her Masters in the Psychology of Education at Columbia University. Today, as co-founder and Executive Director of The Arthur Project, Murray is a passionate advocate for underserved youth, working to end generational poverty through relationship-based learning.

Speaker Videos

TEDX: From Homeless to Harvard

From Homeless to Harvard Interview

Speech Topics

From Homeless to Harvard

A story so powerful it was made into a movie, Liz Murray shares her fascinating, inspirational story of growing up with two drug addicted parents who she began supporting at age 10. Homeless at age 15, the death of her mother was the wake-up call that made her break free of her circumstances and pursue a different path for her life. While living on the streets of New York, she completed and graduated from high school in just two years. Overcoming horrible odds, she won a full scholarship and was accepted to Harvard University. Murray offers one of the most moving, elegant and uplifting tales you will ever hear.

Giving Back: Extending Corporate Values into Your Community

While the practice of Corporate Social Responsibility galvanized the business world years ago, companies and organizations continue to voluntarily increase the steps they take to improve the quality of life for their communities and society at large. Employees play a key role in community-based initiatives, but more importantly have an innate desire to be part of something bigger than themselves. Liz Murray’s inspirational story challenges the audience to recognize the opportunity we each have to make a lasting contribution on another person’s life. Employees will find themselves re-charged and ready to step-up as community leaders.

Testimonials

"Liz's message was very well received. I felt that Liz was able to resonate with so many different facets of our lives. Most importantly, in her message, she brought to life, 'you don't know what someone is going through.' I think there was a lot of self reflection going on in the audience. Our staff has actually expressed interest in having Liz return. I don't think we have ever had that request about a guest speaker."

- Carthage Central School District

“It was great having Liz Murray visit Bryant University. Her presentation was moving and genuine. I appreciated how vulnerable she was in sharing her personal life and experience, with humor and realness. She made it engaging particularly with the Q and A..”

- Bryant University

"Everyone really enjoyed Liz – she did great."

- River Bend Food Bank