Homeless. Janitor. Fulbright scholar.

All a part of Caylin Moore’s story.

Moore first shared a piece of his story during the international Dear World campaign. He wrote “TCU FOOTBALL,” “FULBRIGHT SCHOLAR,” “DAD IN PRISON 4 LIFE,” “MOM WAS RAPED,” “HOMELESS,” “JANITOR,” and “COMPTON,” all on his chest.

The junior economics major was raised in Carson, California, also known as Compton.

Moore said he, his mother and his two younger siblings were left homeless after his parent’s divorce when he was in kindergarten.

“I remember sleeping in a parking lot that was next to a Carl’s Jr.,” Moore said.

Moore said once they found a home, the four of them shared a bed. He said rats and roaches crawled across the floor.

Through everything, his mom has been his biggest inspiration, he said.

“Even when things got really tough, my mom stayed strong,” Moore said. “She went to law school and eventually got her law degree. She was also my football coach for awhile.”

After graduating high school in 2012, Moore went to Marist College in New York, where he received a Fulbright scholarship to study abroad for the summer of 2014. However, after he returned home, he had to stop playing football due to a back injury.

Moore began working as a janitor and said it was the most humbling experience.

“The people that used to praise me on the football field treated me completely different,” Moore said. “[It] really opened my eyes.”

Moore then transferred to Princeton for the spring semester of 2015. But one thing was still on his mind: football.

“Once the NCAA cleared me, I started talking to coaches and I ended up here at TCU—which is a blessing.” Moore said.