As Leaving Cert results day draws near, a young man who was homeless during his Leaving Cert hopes his story will inspire students to persevere with their goals even if they do not get the points they want.
Josh Mbala moved to Naas, Co Kildare, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo with his brother when he was 13 to live with their father.
When he was saying goodbye to his mother, he promised her he would not return home until he had a university degree.
When his circumstances changed in sixth year and he became homeless, this promise became his driving force to continue studying hard.
"I was determined nothing that happened to me would stop me from getting my Leaving Cert at the time, no matter what happened here, homeless, living on the streets, whatever, I've seen it all, there was nothing going to stop me from achieving my goals," he recalled.
"I love studying, not everyone does, but I do. I think that's down to my upbringing back in Congo, it’s not the richest country and you’re sold the idea that education is the gateway to get out of poverty."
Josh studied microbiology in University College Dublin.
He says he felt too "ashamed" to tell his friends that he was homeless.
"I wasn’t a normal student, I never got to do anything. People in uni would be on about their holidays, but I'd be worrying about when I'll get to eat when I left the place," he said.
Josh now works as an indirect tax analyst with Apple in Cork.
He has written a book, 'A Promise Too Big’, about his experiences and he hopes it will show students that they too can overcome adversity.
He also hopes his journey will show how important it is to show empathy to others.
"On paper, I had everything, but you never know what people are dealing with. I was just surviving," he added.
