It's a nice story for her, but the medium is the message. In this context the story plays into a tech/valley belief that it's OK to live in a world where a comb

It's a nice story for her, but the medium is the message. In this context the story plays into a tech/valley belief that it's OK to live in a world where a combination of "off the chart smarts, fierce determination, and generous well-connected friends" are the solution to endemic crushing poverty. Swap around a couple details and it's the same type of feel-good story of individualism you see all the time in the conservative media. Read the article again and read about the problems she faced in her family and society. No teenager should need to rise above those challenges, even if some minuscule fraction of them have the intelligence and will and luck to do so. We should be focused on building a better society for everyone, not making ourselves feel better about the broken society we have.