Based on the true story of Elizabeth "Liz" Murray. The real Liz appeared in the movie as a social worker and was also a co-producer for the production.
The reason that Liz Murray left Harvard was so that she could be transferred to another school, which would be less expensive than Harvard (for which she was only receiving $12,000 a year with her scholarship) and also to be closer to her father, who has since died 2006 of AIDS.