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Richton Park grad Hailey Love gets $4 million in scholarships

Richton Park grad Hailey Love gets $4 million in scholarships
Richton Park grad Hailey Love gets $4 million in scholarships 02:12

CHICAGO (CBS) -- It's not only travel season, but also graduation season.

Thousands of talented students will be walking the stage as the Class of 2023, but CBS 2 wanted to highlight one amazing grad.

Hailey Love, viola player and valedictorian of Southland College Prep Charter School in Richton Park. She did it all despite overcoming moments of homelessness and medical issues during high school.

"It means a lot. I've been through a lot in the last four years, both academically and in my home life. So being a valedictorian is something that I'm very proud of," Love said.

She added "I've been through some monetary challenges in my home life in my home life. In the last year, I've had some health issues. I've been dealing with COVID, obviously, that's a pretty common one. But also bronchitis, asthma and allergy-related issues that have had me out for more than a week at a time."

So what keeps her going?

"The people that I love, largely, but basically my mom sacrificed a lot to get me here. So I keep going for her and for all the other people that I love," she said.

Love received more than $4 million in scholarships, but she's headed to Yale. Pretty impressive! Saturday is graduation day for Hailey and her classmates. We wish them all the best.

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