homeless or not in southeast its rough regardless she explained her next steps are a job at a service organization in dc and law school she told abc affiliate wjla am i supposed to stink just know that your blessing is there waiting for you you just have to go get it she said what does that mean she grew up in southeast dc bouncing between public housing and homelessness living in the infamous dc general family shelter the notoriouslytroubled megashelter which closed last october the circumstances are just rough due to the fact that we dont have the tools or resources as everyone else more sesame street takes on homelessness with a muppet named lily reading and education helped melson focus and imagine a different life for herself and the support of her friends motivated her to finish her studies because am i supposed to look dirty rashema melson leaves her womens health class at georgetown university april 15 2015 in washington dc evelyn hockstein for the washington post via getty images file my life has always been rough melson told abc news because am i supposed to look dirty she left georgetown after her freshman year to get married and when the marriage didnt work out it was her friends who successfully urged her to return to georgetown and complete her degree its not offensive when people do it the 23yearold who had lived for three years in a washington dc shelter made headlines as the valedictorian of anacostia high schools class of 2014 with a full scholarship to georgetown university how do you know that i am homeless more meet the couple who created mobile showers for the homeless community what does that mean rashema melson is no stranger to adversity melson told abc news that she hopes someday that americans will be able to entertain a more expansive view of homelessness to people going through difficult situations her advice is that things always get better in time but you really cant tell anything from looking at a person melson said she used to wake up to the sting of bed bug bites constantly changed schools and ate food straight from the can because there were no plates she even at one point lived in an abandoned house she wondered aloud how do you know that i am homeless am i supposed to stink on saturday melson graduated from georgetown university with a degree in justice and peace studies the first person in her family to graduate from college melson spoke with abc news last week sharing her path to graduation and some of the hardships she endured throughout her life