My uncle jumped from a bridge and landed on the side of the freeway in 1988. I was barely 6 years old at the time. It happened at night and my father got the call immediately afterwards. I remember I was woke up in the middle of the night by my stepmom and I could hear my father crying. It was dark outside so I knew it was late and was confused as to what was happening. I was rushed to the car as my father drove as fast as the car would go. I remember sitting in the middle seat in the back all by myself while my stepmom was in the passenger seat. I was fearful and my heart was pounding as the car sped to West Virginia. My father didn’t go directly to his parent’s house in Chesapeake, Ohio. He drove directly to the bridge. The infamous bridge that my uncle just jumped from. We parked on the side of the freeway and my father got out. He walked to an empty spot on the ground that was covered in blood and brain matter. I could his is screaming and crying from the backseat of the car. I knew something was wrong but I didn’t know what per se just that it was bad. After what felt like an eternity to me at 6 years old my father gathered himself up and back to the driver seat. He then drove to his parent’s house. We arrived in the middle of the night. My grandparent’s house was lit up with every light they had on. I got out of the car and walked past my uncle’s mini trailer that was in their driveway and into their house. I remember feeling odd because my dad’s entire family was there like it was Christmas morning, but it was dark and felt heavy. My uncle was clearly missing though. No one was smiling as they were trying to understand what just happened. I still didn’t understand what was going on but I was excited to see my grandma. I remember walking around the house and playing alone while everyone gathered in the kitchen. My grandparent’s were making phone calls and gathering information as I now know was about my uncle. The story my father told me growing up was that 2 cops were drunk on the job. They randomly pulled my uncle over and began harassing him. They later threw him over the edge of the bridge where he landed on the side of the freeway. They planted their vodka bottle in his vehicle to say that my uncle was drunk and combative. My uncle had no alcohol in his blood during his autopsy. Post mortem bruising was found on his face according to my father. I grew up hating cops and still to this day I don’t trust them. I know there are rotten people everywhere you go but that uniform is supposed to represent safety, honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness. With that said, as an adult I found his obituary and started reading on it. I don’t think he was thrown off the bridge. I do believe that the cops were drunk and maybe even harassed my uncle but I truly believe he jumped. My gut tells me he jumped. I grew up crying for him as apparently we were inseparable every time I saw him. I currently have a photo of his small headstone in my phone. I’m officially 43 years old right now and my heart still aches for my uncle. He was only 22. I will be twice his age in October of this year; 2026.

If I were to have all kids K-12 take a class that is mandatory it would be on financial education. It would cover how to manage a bank account and checking account. Then I would also expand on stocks, bonds, 401k, and responsibilities of payday loans vs personal loans. I would proceed to expand into paychecks, mortgages, rent, utilities, groceries, car payments, health care cost, personal care items or needs, and anything else that they might need to manage when they get their first place. I would like to teach the students the stock market and how to trade stocks. Financial education isn't present in schools in my city, and I feel as if I would be in a better place where I can afford to buy groceries and pay my bills if I had a strong foundation right out of high school. It is my professional opinion that it will impact the economy, and generations of children's future. It will impact the economy because they will know how to budget their money appropriately where they can purchase a house or their first vehicle if they wish in their 20's. All students should then be required to intern at a bank or financial institution like a credit union. They need the experience before they open their first bank account and learn how to manage their funds correctly. They should know the banking structure and have an exam to pass before graduation. With that in mind, students should be educated on financial hardships, bankruptcy, and the importance of credit. Each student should be required to establish a mock bank account both checking and savings to learn how to manage their money throughout the entire month. With the student's mock bank accounts, they should experience over drafting their accounts and the financial repercussions of over drafting their bank accounts. the students should be guided through learning how to use and utilize Excel for budgeting their financials to keep track of their spending and bills. Here in Columbus, Ohio students are now required to volunteer or get a job in high school before they graduate. Combining the two programs side by side would be encouraging and helpful when teaching Fianacial education. Student loans, and grants should also be including into financial education. I would include student loans and grants, so each student understands the consequences of borrowing loans and the repayment penalty if you don't repay your loans on time. Financial education would have made a world of difference for me coming from the family that I have. I would not be struggling to put food on my table right not or to pay my most basic bills. I know that the economy is difficult for middle- and lower-class people, but I truly believe that if I had been taught how to manage my finances before entering into society like I did at the age of 16 then I would have a better understanding growing up of just how to have savings for emergencies and how important it is properly manage my finances.

My biggest dream in life is to own my own home. Those stories on the news where children are locked up with no food or bathrooms. Myself and two of my siblings were those kids when I was in elementary school. Myself, one of my older sister, and brother were locked upstairs without access to any food, water, or bathroom. My brother began sexually abusing me during this time that we were locked up on a daily basis. My father would put a knife in the outside of the door frame to prevent us from coming downstairs. When I figured out if you knock on the door in a specific area it would move the knife out and the door would open my father was so angry he place a dog in there with us to keep us from getting close to the door to try an open it. He placed dog food there for the dog in hopes that it would growl or bite us if we got too close to the dog. When I went to fifth grade we moved to southern Ohio as far away from people as possible on my father’s family land. My family, some of my father’s family live on the land too but my father isolated us from them by constantly accusing my grandfather of raping my stepmom. He create so much animosity that no one spoke to us and he was able to keep abusing us in isolation. My brother continued molesting me from early elementary through middle school. I spoke up to my father and stepmom but they did nothing about it. My father who was an alcoholic begin trying to rape me repeatedly as he had me isolated from my extended family when I was only 12- 13 years old.. He was so drunk that it never happened, but it didn’t stop him from trying. I put my father in jail in 1997 for attempted rape and GSI. I know what its like to not have food at home and the only meals we got were during school hours because my father and stepmom put all their money into his beer and their cigarettes. I could continue with stories about my abusive childhood but I hope you understand it a little bit better with what I did say. I’ve never had a steady home that I can call mine. I constantly have to move and it’s overwhelming at 42 years old. I want to put down roots and be able to say I’m home. My plan to achieving my goal of buying a house is by finishing my bachelors degree. I started this journey years ago, but my oldest daughter was suicidal during my last two years of college. I couldn’t maintain college, work, and her health. I was constantly picking her up from school and taking her to the hospital or therapy sessions. I couldn’t stay at work or focus on college while caring for her needs. She is doing great now and just had her second daughter this past July. Now I’m back in college in my senior year to finally finish my bachelors degree. I work at Amazon and once I get my degree my goal is to apply for a management position. They only care that I have the degree and not in what subject the degree was for. They pay their managers very well and that is my goal to how I’m going to purchase my first home. Through hard work and dedication to Myself, God blessing my journey.