FREMONT - Liz Murray has been called a "bootstrapper" - a person who pulls themselves out of a desperate situation.
The term seems to fit. She grew up in a home with drug-addicted parents and became homeless as a teenager and stopped going to school. A life-changing experience drew her back to school and eventually led her to Harvard.
But "bootstrapper" is not a term she readily accepts.
"I actually have a problem with that," she said during a pair of speeches Tuesday and Wednesday at Midland University. "I think that when we speak about people that way, we discount the need for education and teachers, mentors, community. No one gets where they're going alone."
Murray, who has been featured on the made-for-TV movie "Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story," was the keynote speaker for the second annual All Minds Matter Conference. Hosted at Midland, the conference is organized by Education Service Unit No. 2 in Fremont and funded through a grant from the Fremont Area Community Foundation.
This year, All Minds Matter focused on societal issues facing youth. Other keynote speakers included Dr. Mark and Joni Adler, who shared a personal perspective on teen suicide; Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson, who discussed the negative physical and mental side effects of teen marijuana use; and representatives of The Kim Foundation, which is dedicated to increasing awareness and promoting continued education related to mental illness.
Additionally, there were breakout sessions led by the Fremont Area United Way and Fremont Family Coalition, Fremont Public Schools, Project Harmony and Midland University's Personal and Career Development Center.