Finding Value in Every Life: My Pro-Life Journey My pro-life convictions emerge directly from my lived experiences with vulnerability and marginalization. Having experienced homelessness both as a child with my single mother and later as an adult struggling with addiction, I've witnessed firsthand how easily society can overlook those deemed inconvenient or burdensome. This perspective has deepened my Christian belief that every human life possesses inherent dignity and value, regardless of circumstance, capability, or development stage. Growing up in periods of instability, I observed how systems often failed to recognize the humanity in those struggling most desperately. When my mother sought assistance while pregnant and raising children in poverty, we encountered judgment rather than compassionate support. These experiences crystallized my understanding that true respect for life must extend beyond abstract principles to tangible support for vulnerable individuals—including expectant mothers facing difficult circumstances and their unborn children. My seven-year journey through homelessness and addiction further illuminated this truth. Living on the streets, I experienced the dehumanization that occurs when one's presence becomes unwelcome—when existence itself seems inconvenient to others. In recovery, through church support groups, I reconnected with my Christian faith and found profound meaning in scripture's affirmation that we are all created in God's image, knit together in the womb with divine purpose and intention. This spiritual understanding transformed my perspective on my own worth and extended naturally to recognizing the sanctity of unborn life. My faith community provided not just spiritual guidance but practical models of how to uphold life's dignity through action rather than rhetoric alone. My pro-life commitment manifests through volunteer work with church-based programs that provide comprehensive support to women facing unexpected pregnancies. I help collect material resources—from diapers to clothing—while also offering emotional support through peer mentoring. Having faced desperate circumstances myself, I approach these interactions without judgment, recognizing that meaningful choice emerges only when genuine support exists. Through AmeriCorps NCCC and other community service, I've worked with programs supporting homeless families with young children, recognizing that pro-life values must extend beyond birth to encompass quality of life for children and families in vulnerable circumstances. This holistic understanding motivates my pursuit of legal education—to advocate for policies that truly support life at all stages. My approach to promoting life's dignity emerges from experiencing both abandonment and support. I've learned that judgment rarely changes hearts or circumstances, but compassionate presence often does. My testimony in church settings emphasizes how my own life, once seemingly without hope or purpose during addiction, contained value even when I couldn't recognize it myself—just as every unborn life holds potential beyond our limited human understanding. Through both personal example and direct service, I strive to embody the Christian principle that all human life, from conception through natural death, deserves protection, dignity, and the opportunity to fulfill divine purpose. This conviction guides my educational pursuits, volunteer commitments, and future aspirations in legal advocacy.

Hello! My name is Macy Lytle and I need your help achieving my dreams! I have turned my life around and need your assistance at making a better world. Here is my story. Through seven years of homelessness and opiate addiction—sleeping under bridges, battling withdrawal, and searching daily for basic survival necessities—I still found my way to food banks and outreach centers to volunteer. This seemingly paradoxical choice illuminates the transformative power of service: when external identities and possessions are stripped away, the act of giving becomes both anchor and rebirth. My understanding of service began in childhood. Raised in a low-income Native American household by my single mother, I experienced homelessness and instability firsthand. These early lessons taught me that need exists on a continuum rather than in fixed categories. When volunteering with homeless families and youth, I approached each interaction without the subtle condescension that often accompanies charity. Recipients sensed this authenticity—creating exchanges grounded in mutual dignity rather than hierarchical benevolence. My involvement with church support groups and addiction recovery programs acquired profound dimension during my own battle with substance dependence. Contributing while simultaneously healing revealed the artificial nature of helper/helped distinctions. In these spaces, my lived experience—once source of only shame—became vital testimony that recovery remains possible even from society's margins. The vulnerable authenticity I brought created safety for others still trapped in cycles I was gradually escaping. Through AmeriCorps NCCC service, I witnessed how structured volunteer efforts multiply individual impact exponentially. Working alongside diverse teams addressing community challenges demonstrated that effective service combines compassionate intention with strategic implementation. This formal service experience revealed how organized volunteer programs can address root causes rather than just symptoms, creating sustainable change within fragile communities. Perhaps most significantly, volunteer work preserved my essential humanity during periods when all other identities were compromised. While losing housing, health, and relationships through addiction, I maintained my capacity to contribute meaningfully to others. This continuous thread of service connected seemingly irreconcilable chapters—the homeless addict and the community contributor coexisting within one life story. The simple act of giving became both survival strategy and identity foundation. The ripple effects of volunteer work extend far beyond immediate services provided. For communities facing structural challenges, each service interaction builds collective resilience. Food banks address immediate hunger while fostering connection. Recovery programs facilitate sobriety while building support networks. Youth programs interrupt cycles of adversity while nurturing future leaders. These cumulative impacts transform individual struggles into community strengths. My volunteer experiences directly shaped my pursuit of legal education. They exposed critical gaps in systems I navigated as both recipient and provider, inspiring my commitment to advocate for vulnerable populations. The insights gained through service—particularly understanding how legal frameworks can either perpetuate or alleviate suffering—inform my determination to represent those whose circumstances mirror my past. Volunteer work embodies practical hope—the conviction that conditions improve through collective action and mutual support. Each exchange affirms our fundamental interconnection and shared humanity. This understanding now guides my journey from personal recovery to professional advocacy, transforming lived experience into meaningful service through a law degree.

My greatest achievement transcends conventional metrics of success. After enduring seven years of homelessness and opiate addiction, I not only reclaimed my sobriety and secured stable housing—I discovered my calling. This journey from society's margins to meaningful recovery represents not just personal salvation but the foundation for my future in legal advocacy for vulnerable populations. Born into a low-income Native American household with my single mother, I experienced homelessness, abuse, and trauma during my formative years. Without college-educated role models or financial stability, I eventually found myself among America's most vulnerable—one of nearly 600,000 homeless individuals, with the added burden of substance dependency. The odds were devastatingly slim; research indicates fewer than 20% of individuals experiencing chronic homelessness with co-occurring addiction achieve sustainable recovery without substantial support networks or resources. My transformation began with what seemed impossible: walking into a detox facility after seven years on the streets. This decision required confronting not just physical withdrawal but the childhood wounds and systemic failures that had shaped my path. Rehabilitation demanded dismantling the protective walls I'd built through years of substance use and rebuilding my identity from its foundation—arguably the most difficult challenge any human can face. Through recovery, I discovered dimensions of myself previously obscured by survival mode. I uncovered resilience that had quietly sustained me through homelessness but had never been channeled toward growth. I found that empathy, born from suffering, could become my greatest strength rather than vulnerability. Most profoundly, I realized that experiences I had viewed solely as failures uniquely qualified me to help others navigate similar terrain with authenticity and insight impossible to gain through conventional education alone. What distinguishes this achievement is how I maintained connections to humanity even during my darkest periods. I volunteered at food banks and homeless outreach programs whenever possible, and volunteered for years through AmeriCorps NCCC. These experiences revealed a fundamental truth: my instinct to transform personal suffering into service remained unbroken through years of hardship, waiting for the opportunity to flourish. Achieving sobriety created space for vision beyond daily survival. I recognized that my firsthand understanding of the systemic barriers facing marginalized communities, combined with formal legal education, could make me an unusually effective advocate. This realization crystallized into my current goal: earning a Bachelor's degree in Legal Studies to represent children and families navigating systems I once experienced from underneath rather than within. Perhaps most remarkably, this achievement has transformed my relationship with my past. Experiences that once seemed only sources of shame now provide the foundation for genuine empathy and systemic insight. The legal, healthcare, and social service systems that once failed me could become arenas where my voice—strengthened by both lived experience and professional credentials—catalyzes meaningful change for others still trapped in similar circumstances. Looking forward, I envision creating concentric circles of impact. I plan to represent foster youth, families facing housing insecurity, and individuals battling addiction in legal proceedings where understanding clients' lived realities proves as crucial as knowing statutes. I hope to contribute to policy reforms addressing root causes of intergenerational poverty, addiction, and homelessness. Additionally, I aim to mentor others in recovery who wish to transform their hardships into professional purpose. My journey has taught me that true achievement often follows unconventional paths. The profound accomplishment of rebuilding a life requires courage immeasurable by traditional standards. With the opportunity to pursue higher education, I can transform my greatest personal victory into a professional mission—advocating for those whose stories echo my own but whose voices remain unheard in systems designed without advocating for those whose stories echo my own but whose voices remain unheard in systems designed without their experience or input.