I never thought I'd read the words written on that acceptance letter. For the past 6 years I've been taking steps towards a dream I've had for some time. In the beginning, I wasn't fully aware of where this dream would take me, but I knew one thing: I wanted to be a better person. I struggled with heroin addiction through my adolecent and early adult life. I hurt and disappointed many people. In and out of jails and rehabs, I was sure I'd never break the pattern. Through the grace of a higher power and a willingness to change, I slowly grew to be someone I was proud of. I returned to school to pursue my passions, and hard work paid off. I'm grateful and proud to share that I've been accepted to an Ivy League institution to study biochemistry. Sadly, an education like this comes with a huge cost and I now face an obstacle I can't get across without help. I wanted to ask anyone able and willing to contribute to help support my family and I pay the cost of tuition. If you look at the breakdown of the cost to attend Columbia University minus what they awarded me per year, it's pretty ridiculous! But a chance at a school like this doesn't come around too often.