The story of Khadijah Williams, a graduate of Jefferson High School in Los Angeles, California, is creating a sensation in the United States. Williams, her mother and younger sister, were homeless and living out of shelters and motels. Her mother comes from the slums of Brooklyn, New York and was only 14 when she gave birth to Williams and subsequently kicked out of her home. With no permanent place to live, Williams had changed schools 12 times by the time she graduated from high school.

A Los Angeles Times article about Williams detailed that Williams never gave up her passion for education, despite having to sleep using garbage bags as blankets and eating at soup kitchens. She gained confidence in her academic abilities after finishing in the top 1 percentile range in the California state exams in the third grade. From then on she went to school every day, waking up at 4 a.m. to catch the bus from her shelter and not retuning until 11 p.m.

Williams¡¯ grade point average was slightly below 4.0, but other applicants to Harvard had grades that were just as good. Harvard interviewer Julie Hilden played a large role in the university's decision to choose Williams. After interviewing her, Hilden said, "If you don't take her, you might be missing out on the next Michelle Obama. Don't make this mistake." As a result, Williams was accepted by Harvard on a full scholarship.

Even in the United States, a student must not only have stellar grades, but also special talents and a curriculum vitae that includes athletic abilities and experience in volunteer work. For Williams, who moved around from homeless shelters to motels, such a track record was hard to achieve. Yet Harvard selected Williams even though the competition rate was 14 to 1. Harvard's decision gives hope to other children of low-income families that with a lot of effort they too can get into a prestigious university.

Admissions officers at Seoul National University admitted into its engineering school one student who lived in a mining town in South Jeolla Province who had never studied at a private crammer. SNU also accepted into its life science school another student who was raised by a single mother in Damyang, South Jeolla Province, even though that student did not score in the top range in the College Scholastic Ability Test. In the 2010 academic year, around 50 universities will choose 4,500 new students based on the evaluations of admissions officers. Even though applicants may have the same grades and the same talents, their achievements could take on different meanings depending on the level of support each received while growing up.

The biggest responsibility of admissions officers is to see the special qualities and potential of individuals that are not clearly visible in their grades, volunteer work or special talents. Universities must strive to contribute to bridging the gap between the rich and poor by demonstrating to students from low-income families that their gates are open to anyone who has the potential to excel academically, helping them to reach new heights.