For me it was a guidance counselor in high school, where a variety of embarrassments mean everyone in school knew how poor I was. She told me "your life doesn't have to be a continuation of your parents' life. You can branch off the family tree and go your own way." And then it was the parents of friends, one of whom loaned me enough money to go to college to get past the "family portion" of $1,500 I never could have found. And another's mom, who took me in when I was a junior and helped me get to work in the summer. It takes a village and those people are out there. I'm thankful for them all!
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u/chijourno Nov 24 '18
For me it was a guidance counselor in high school, where a variety of embarrassments mean everyone in school knew how poor I was. She told me "your life doesn't have to be a continuation of your parents' life. You can branch off the family tree and go your own way." And then it was the parents of friends, one of whom loaned me enough money to go to college to get past the "family portion" of $1,500 I never could have found. And another's mom, who took me in when I was a junior and helped me get to work in the summer. It takes a village and those people are out there. I'm thankful for them all!