19-year-old Max Jones is making news after graduating from George Wythe High School in Richmond, Virginia, with multiple full college scholarships after months of living in his car.
Homeless for a long stretch, Max split his days between school and working at a local restaurant — returning every night to sleep in the backseat of his car.
“I went through a lot,” Max told Atlanta News First. “I was homeless for a long period of time.”
While most teens his age celebrated their final year of high school, Max grappled with poverty and instability. He wore the same clothes every day—joggers and Crocs—trying to get by unnoticed.
With money tight and his mother working constantly, Max felt neglected and unwanted, especially after his half-siblings’ father returned—but only to be present for his own children, leaving Max out entirely.
So Max made a bold choice: he left. He bought a bus ticket to Richmond and enrolled himself at George Wythe High. Even then, housing remained unstable, and he eventually ended up living in a car he managed to purchase with his last bit of money.
“I wasn’t able to take showers. I wasn’t able to eat,” Max recalled. But despite the hardship, school staff stepped in—providing food, hotel stays, and moral support when they could.
His breakthrough came when Pastor Robert Winfrey of New Life Deliverance Tabernacle visited the school. After speaking with Max, the pastor offered him a room in the church cottage, giving him a place to sleep, shower, and eat until graduation.
Thanks to his resilience—and the kindness of teachers and a caring pastor—Max is now preparing for college with a handful of scholarships and a renewed sense of hope.
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