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LA Unified student Timothy Walker of Crenshaw High School was among five students honored by the Children’s Defense Fund of California with a “Beat the Odds” award at a star-studded event in Culver City last week.

The award recognizes students who have overcome obstacles and adversity while achieving academic success. Each winner will receive a $10,000 college scholarship, private tutoring, college counseling, mentoring, internship placements, life skills development, SAT prep and college tours at no cost, according to a Children’s Defense Fund press release.

The other winners were were: Chase Moore and Zachary Byrge of Verbum Dei High School, Elizabeth Lopez of Culver City High School and Sequoia Canada of New Roads High School. The awards ceremony at Book Bindery was attended by celebrities J.J. Abrams, Conan O’Brien, Reese Witherspoon and others, according to the release.

“Chase, Elizabeth, Sequoia, Timothy, and Zachary represent five extraordinarily talented and resilient young people who have overcome tremendous adversity to succeed academically and as leaders in their communities despite the numerous barriers that have been placed in their paths,” Alex Johnson, Executive Director of Children’s Defense Fund-California, said in a statement. “We are proud to honor and support them as they realize the fullness of their potential. We know that if you simply invest in children they will succeed and thrive.”

Click on the below youTube video to see a short documentary produced by Children’s Defense Fund about Walker and the struggles he overcame, including growing up in a poverty-stricken neighborhood in south LA and living in a homeless shelter when he was a small child.