Kevin Riordan: Once homeless, she's among LEAP's graduates and bound for college

Felisha Robinson had the perfect excuse for not doing her homework.

She didn't have a home.

"At the shelter, there were a lot of little kids running around," Robinson says with a smile that dazzles. "So I did most of my studying at school or on the bus."

A devout churchgoer and devoted reader, Robinson will graduate Wednesday from the LEAP Academy University Charter School in Camden. She will be a freshman at Rutgers' Camden College of Arts and Sciences in the fall, and hopes to have a career in pharmacy.

"Felisha worked exceptionally hard," says Khary Golden, a LEAP administrator who guides students through the college application process. "But I wouldn't say she's exceptional."

That's because all 55 members of the Class of 2011 are headed to college.

"One hundred percent graduation and 100 percent college placement" have been the norm for every LEAP graduating class, says Gloria Bonilla-Santiago, founder and board chairwoman.

"We don't accept excuses," Golden explains. "That's how we do it. . . . I draw a line in the sand the first day of school. Even though they may have been told they're not college material, they are going to college."

LEAP, which will build a separate high school of science and technology across from its Cooper Street campus, has about 900 students in pre-K through 12. Most are from the city, where many of the traditional public schools are floundering and families are often "fragile," as Bonilla-Santiago says.

The school offers eight-hour days and a 200-day year, as well as merit pay for teachers. Services for families include a medical clinic.

"We're trying to break the cycle of poverty," Bonilla-Santiago says.

Robinson lost her father to diabetes when she was 11 and has two older siblings (both in college) and a younger sister. A dispute with her mother's former boyfriend ended with the family's becoming homeless on Nov. 19, 2009.

"It was my 17th birthday," Robinson recalls. "It was a shock. . . . At school I was around people who were laughing about things like iPods, and I was worried about where we were going to live."

Her family ended up at a shelter in Blackwood. "Honestly, from what I came from, it was a nice place," Robinson says. "It felt good, there was food there, there were other people you could talk to."

She was determined to keep playing basketball for her high school, and she was determined to keep up her grades, too. "I fell off," she says. "I had to build myself back up."

Golden and other staff members were "very, very caring," she continues. "They were above and beyond. They made sure I did my work."

Golden says Robinson seemed largely unfazed by her struggle. "She went through the normal confidence crises that students go through, but she adapted very very well."

Nevertheless, "worrying about my future was the hardest part," Robinson says. "I was worried that I would never make it, and this would be my reality - being homeless."

After five weeks, the family found a new home in the city. Robinson's mother, Paulette, now works for a day care center.

Now, "it's not easy, but it's a lot better," she says. "I'm more appreciative of what I have."

Which is a lot.

Robinson was accepted at a dozen colleges, including Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, and the College of New Jersey. She chose Rutgers-Camden for many reasons, but the fact that it's close to home was key.

"My family taught me you have to have a strong head. You can't let the circumstances of life break you down, because you'll get nowhere," Robinson says.

"People tell me that I'm shy. But when it comes to my dreams and goals, I can't be."