Coming out at thirteen was no easy thing to do. I came out in 2002 two years after my father died of a heroin overdose. I am the youngest of four children and we grew up moving constantly due to being so low income. I am going to be thirty-three this fall and to give perspective I’ve moved thirty-five times in my life. Skipped school when I was a teenager, acted out, and started experimenting with drugs. Slowly saw myself turning into my father. I dropped out of high school at sixteen and got my GED with my sister and my mother because both of them dropped out of school as well. College wasn’t really an option for any of my siblings. I did go to school for my associate's degree in 2009 and finished. Went into loads of debt to do so. I also learned the degree was basically useless. Working a lot of low-end paying jobs, I tried to return to school. I went to an online school. Worked hard and earned a 3.6 GPA and made the dean's list. I then find out I am close to the max student loans I can receive. Working at subway I know I wouldn’t be able to afford to pay for college on my own. Five years later and I am trying again to complete my bachelor's and be the first in my family to have a bachelor’s degree and use it to work with underprivileged children. I want to be able to help kids growing up in poverty, LGBTQ+ youth who do not have support, and who use drugs as an escape. I want to show them it is possible to overcome obstacles to reach your goals. I need this scholarship to help pay for that dream to become a reality.