Two Months in a Homeless Shelter Spurred a Teenager’s Desire to Study

“Homeless but Not Hopeless.” That had been the title of the essay Oscar Ibarra submitted along with his college applications, inspired by the two months he spent living in a shelter. “It was about how I pushed myself to do work even though times got hard for me and my family,” Mr. Ibarra said. “I thought I might have to drop out of school.”