Rags to Riches: From Poverty to Public Policy

This is my story of my fight for a childhood dream, which many people may not know goes back to the age of 4! My aspirations of becoming an attorney always felt so strong in my spirit. And as I got older, it stuck with me, and my will grew stronger and stronger to enter into this profession. As many of you know (since I only plan on sharing this with those I am close with) I have struggled with the issue of poverty having 7 children that I have always taken care of alone. And even more challenging was that I was raising children with several clinical diagnoses. Everything I’ve ever gotten in life as an adult has come from hard work and grit, or someone that came to my aid way after things had skyrocketed out of control, or the occasional times where I’ve felt I was almost begging a begrudging person for help in the most urgent of situations.

Although I didn’t have the greatest temperament when I was younger, struggling with some mental health issues I had to address, I’ve always done what “society” told me would bring me success (graduated from H.S. early @ 16, went off to college, remained in college while having children, while struggling to balance being a F/T mom, a F/T employee and a F/T student. My parents lived way out of my geographical area so I never had a safety net while raising my children. I never had a support system, which not only caused me depression, but to get into some legal problems, all due to the added pressures that were always present for me. But the one thing I remained vigilant about was my education. After 10 years of hard work and dedication I finally walked in graduation to receive my Bachelor’s of Bioscience (Biology). I had also graduated with my Associates years prior, but that accomplishment couldn’t compare to this milestone. I also was pregnant with my 4th child and going through unspeakable things during this time that was supposed to be celebrating my greatest achievement, but yet I WALKED. I walked across that stage with so much pain in my soul from the other circumstances I was enduring, but yet…I WALKED….

After my graduation I immediately went to Hofstra for my Paralegal Certificate, figuring that would make me feel important enough until I actually became a lawyer. Then was time for a break from so many years of schooling. But after that break was over it was time to tackle the LSAT, the exam that allows you to get into law school. After much time and money I invested into this test, I was exhausted! Two years of studying and prep, three different attempts with the same score results and I still didn’t have what I thought was a good enough score to get into law school. But I would learn later that this test was so rigorous I would have needed to put 10X’s the work of what I had. So I took a break! For about 4 years. Not to mention I needed to have at least 7 years clear of staying out of trouble with the law to expect any institution to take my applications seriously.

Fast forward….although I made a lot of accomplishments during my “break”, I still felt a void about not being a lawyer yet! And time was ticking, I was approaching 40. So after a law school Dean actually confirmed my suspicions of the test being culturally bias, I vowed to myself that I would conquer it, if not for me for then definitely for my ancestors. I was tired of conforming to the design of systematic pitfalls that were meant to keep black and brown people like me oppressed. It was always a perpetual state of poverty, no matter how hard I worked. So I spent 1 more year preparing for the LSAT and almost 2 years prepping for my law school application process….and in June of 2023, I received the news that I was accepted! Praise God!!! Only problem is that the school was in Delaware and I live in NY. And that actually was not my biggest problem, but an even more impending problem was that I was homeless!!! With 6 kids. This battle with homelessness was a running theme throughout my journey as a struggling single parent. And here I was on the brink of escaping poverty but still dealing with these impoverished conditions. Because of the current housing shortage/crisis I have been paying $4,500-$6,000 per month for hotel and Airbnb expenses for the last several months. This has not only taken a toll on me as I’ve been working 3-4 jobs just to keep a roof over our heads, but it has caused me to be behind on other less essential bills lowering my credit score severely, and making it nearly impossible to even qualify with landlords.

I will be starting law school on Aug 21st and because I just spent my last $1,100 on 6 days of hotel fees I probably won’t have enough for my travel expenses or my books (very bad way to start the semester). I will not be able to survive the heavy curriculum without both being organized and having all my supplies. I priced my biweekly commute to be about $4,500 for the first semester (the next 17 weeks). I have maxed out on my scholarships and student loans, and the only other resource available to me is a student loan that is based on credit, which I repeat is shot in my case. I also had no one to be an endorser for me so I can qualify to receive up to $30,000 more in educational loans. So here I am, hoping my story appeals to someone and compels them give to help me achieve this lifelong dream I have of becoming an attorney, and be a walking inspirational testimony for those who feel like their dreams are unattainable. My journey filled with adversity, affliction and turmoil of the highest altitude, but yet I fought to persevere.

I need $6,000 per semester for tuition this year for the expenses that are not covered by my already awarded monies. That’s $12,000. I need $4,500 per semester to commute to school. That’s $9,000. Then I need to pay up my hotel for at least 6 weeks to minimize my stress at the beginning of the semester when I will be under the most pressure with all the adjustments. That’s about $7,500. That amounts to $28,500 but my goal is $25,000 because I am humble and know God will provide. So I figure if I can get 25 people to help invest in my future with a $1,000 donation I can raise $25,000 to sow a seed into my success, or 50 people to contribute $500. Just asking you to spare whatever God puts on your heart to.

I truly believe that I can make a profound impact on this world as an Attorney-At-Law, and fight at the legislative level to get better policies to help goal oriented people such as myself get through all the systemic oppression and red tape specifically and implicitly designed to create barriers for marginalized people from achieving personal and professional success. I’m attaching any documentation I have to support my story. And would really appreciate you to sow a seed. I am far from the type to publicly ask for money, but this dream burns so strongly inside of my soul that it brought me to humble myself enough to ask…will you help bridge the gap that will help go from poverty to making public interest legislative policies! And when my rags to riches story comes to pass, I will owe you…not only my gratification, but some free legal work! lol Love you all for taking the time to read my journey and sharing in my road of empowerment =)

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