one-time

I wanted to share my story since the others here were so inspiring. I am a regular here at TGC. However, to protect my anonymity's anonymity, I am posting this under an assumed username. I am a first-generation college student in my family. We were also quite low-income. I quit going to high school when I was a freshman. By the time I hit 20, I had already developed a significant heroin addiction. By the age of 23, I was literally sleeping on the sidewalk in Manhattan, even in the winter. I'd always been a heavy reader and I spent a lot of my time on the street reading whatever books I could find or "get." Ever met a homeless heroin addict that could discuss anything from Marxism, 19th-century French literature, Greek tragedy, continental philosophy, all kinds of history, the fine points of Judaism, etc...? That was me. At the age of 28, I got clean and within 2 years had the first of my two kids and began taking classes at the lowest community college in the city. My family supported me in more ways than one and made it possible for me to graduate this spring with a GPA of 3.9+ and some very nice essay awards and fellowships. I also developed fantastic relationships with very prominent professors. Now, this coming fall, I will be receiving full funding from my top choice, an Ivy League school that is ranked #2 in the country in my discipline. It's been an amazing journey and I can only hope it keeps going the way it has. Anyway, the point of my story is that, truly, anything is possible. As first-generation students, we face many challenges, especially those of us going to so-called "elite" schools. However, if I can get to where I am from such a low point, any first-generation student issues should appear far less daunting. We get to where we are, largely, due to hard work and a bit of luck or serendipity. And the five years we may spend surrounded by people whose understanding of our issues is little to none is really a very short time. And after it's over, you will continue to have those things that allowed you to get to where you are in the first place. And that is something that no amount of money or class status can buy.