Ginny Burton | A life transformed: From addict to honors college scholar

Ginny Burton was addicted to heroin and crack, and convicted of 17 felonies. She was homeless and lived on the streets of Seattle.

Now at 48 years old, she has overcome it all. She is a graduate of the University of Washington.

“It is possible, if I can do it anybody can,” said Ginny Burton.

“Whatever I had to do, everyone was a victim and everyone was prey,” said Burton. “There were a number of times I just barely made it out.”

After serving time in every women’s prison in the state, in 2012 something changed.

“I was looking at my fourth prison sentence and I made a decision. The minute I got into the police car. That was it. I was done and I was super grateful I had been arrested because I knew it was going to give me an opportunity to change my life,” said Burton.

She served her time, got clean, and got out with new dreams. In 2016, the mother of three went back to school. Now she will graduate from UW with a degree in Political Science. She starts graduate school at the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance in the fall.

Burton was arrested more than 20 times, desperate to feed her drug habit. She did it all from identity theft, to assault, to armed robbery, even stealing from drug dealers.

Ginny shares her story of how she overcame trauma as a youth, drug addiction, and became an honors scholar.

What we discussed: