Monthly Archives: June 2016

Month: June 2016 Wharton High senior lost her mother, but not her drive

June 3, 2016 NEW TAMPA — Sometimes a raw deal can knock a person off track. So it was for Crystal Ramroop, who was 16 when her mother’s heart gave out. “She was my best friend,” said Ramroop, now 18. “Every time something happened in my life, I told her first. It wasn’t real until she knew.” She had called

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Month: June 2016 Homeless sisters, one at Armwood, help each another stay in school

June 3, 2016 SEFFNER — When the school bell rang, Kemari Hayes sprinted home so her classmates wouldn’t find out where she lived. Home was a room at a motel, just off Interstate 4. Inside, Kemari, then 15, closed the door, locking out the crime that she see through the window. She did her homework and watched SpongeBob SquarePants. Kemari

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Month: June 2016 Rough road to graduation included sleeping on porch, couch surfing

June 3, 2016 TAMPA — Only in hindsight did Yves Luma realize her mother never intended to get on the plane. Luma was 9. She wore a flowing white summer shirt and baggy jeans that she could grow into. Her mother said they were going to the United States, a land of shining streets and beautiful homes. On the tarmac

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