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Hi everyone! I created this GoFundMe for myself, in hopes that I will be able to attend Georgia State for the fall semester. I am currently attending classes online due to the fact that I can’t afford to pay out of state tuition.
A little background
My name is Zaniah Sharkey. I am a 21 year old, black woman from New Jersey. I was born to a 15 year old foster child, and a man who ran the day he found out. I was adopted by a family who has 3 kids. My mom and my older brother picked me up and took me home from the hospital, and since that day they have been my family. Raised me the best way they could, informed and always talked to me about my situation, drove 40 minutes to get my hair done by a black woman because that’s what I needed. My upbringing was perfect honestly. Although I had everything I ever wanted and needed. My entire family was white. I grew up in a 4,500 populated town, consisted of 91.9% of white people. As a black girl who was adopted into a white family, in a white town I had longed for a “black” connection my entire life. Going through school I had never had a colored teacher, or administrator I had looked up to.
In 8th grade I visited my best friend who had moved to Georgia. I flew into Atlanta and from the moment I got into the airport I knew I wanted my life to be there. The atmosphere and the people were so different than my small town. I looked into a crowd of so many different ethical groups which something I’d have never experienced. That moment, made me want to have an opportunity to be around people who look and are like me.
Throughout high school I continued to look into schools and colleges in Georgia so I could pursue my education in the dream place I thought of. When senior year came, I struggled heavily with who I was as a person. I started smoking weed and that’s all I did, lost myself a lot. When May came and all my friends were posting their schools I realized I wouldn’t be going away because I chose something else over my dream. Fall I was enrolled for Brookdale community college, I had went to an in and out patient place for help on marijuana use and started to work towards my dream again. Covid happened and I fell back with motivation to do class online, I didn’t sign up for classes and opened my schedule up for more work. Over the next year I had gained back motivation and went back to school.
I got a job at a restaurant in my town, which gave me so many different opportunities. I am a huge people person and I got to meet so many great people from the restaurant. I love dogs, and started dog sitting and walking, just to get out more and meet more people. I also love kids and nannied for a family, while also being “my favorite babysitter” to 4 more families. I joined the recreational committee for my town which is for the youth in our town to give to our kids. The love from the people I have met throughout my life in this town is what keeps me going. I love my town and my people and they love me back which is shown daily as I walk to my many jobs.
I started thinking about my birth family more often and grew the courage to message my birth mom. I told her who I was and asked her how she was, if we could meet and asked if I had siblings. She responded a year later, letting me know that we couldn’t meet but when time was right we would. She informed me that yes I do have siblings, I have 4. All but 1 had been adopted. I got in touch with my youngest sister. I got the other names and went to social media. I had found 2 of my sisters and it was an amazing feeling.
Over the next 6 months my curiosity of who my birth father was grew. I reached out to my birth mom again who gave me his name and gave him mine. He reached out to me. That day in June felt like the best day of my life. He had told me who he was, that I had 11 other siblings from him. He explained his side of how I had gotten here and tried to start having a relationship with me. We slowly started becoming fast friends and I finally felt like I knew someone who was me. He was living with his girlfriend Stephanie in Georgia.
When I had told Stephanie of my dreams she encouraged me to take a trip down to them and visit Georgia State University. In October I did, my love for the state of Georgia, the city for Atlanta and kindness she showed me just made it click. I loved what the school had to offer, it’s location of being right in the heart made it greater. I had met students during my trip who became friends. That trip I decided yes this is my place. Stephanie opened her house to me and encouraged I moved there so I could have the chance of paying In-State tuition. Over the next year my relationship with both my birth father and Stephanie had grown.
Over that time, I had also started to learn more about who they were as people. My birth father was a 62 year old man who had a violent temper and no motivation for anything except himself. Stephanie had the biggest heart, who loved him and wanted to help him see that he could have a big heart too. She had too much of him doing nothing and decided to break up. She had told me that I still was important to her and she wanted to help me get to my dream anyway possible. I had applied for the Spring 2023 semester, and was working many different jobs to save.
September 8th my life changed for the worst. I went to Facebook that Stephanie was tagged in saying she had been killed. I immediately called my birth father, he didn’t answer and I knew something was wrong. That night I found out my birth father had killed her. He broke into her house, got into an argument with her shot her and ran. She was the first woman I felt like was a “black mom” to me. Now she was gone by my birth father who was supposed to be my best friend. The hopes of going to Georgia State started to slip away. The want to go to Georgia State was gone. I gave up on my dreams and started figuring out a new plan. Then I got my acceptance letter. I called Stephanie’s son and told him and he told me “that’s my mom sending down her sparkle to let you know you got this with or without her physical being”. I realized that my life hasn’t been the greatest. But I was given the opportunity to do something great with it and that I will.
I reached another hurdle with financial support. My parents aren’t able to help out. Their income is “too much” to get money from the government. I don’t get approved for any loans on my own, and I don’t have an eligible co-signer to take one out. I changed my enrollment to online for the spring semester so I can start my educational journey at GSU. I choose to stay optimistic for Stephanie Johnson who always did everything with a smile and care. Getting an education is important to me, and pursuing it at Georgia State University is now my dream. I want to continue to grow educationally and learn new aspects to life with the help of what GSU has to provide and offer me. Thank you, Zaniah Sharkey
A little background
My name is Zaniah Sharkey. I am a 21 year old, black woman from New Jersey. I was born to a 15 year old foster child, and a man who ran the day he found out. I was adopted by a family who has 3 kids. My mom and my older brother picked me up and took me home from the hospital, and since that day they have been my family. Raised me the best way they could, informed and always talked to me about my situation, drove 40 minutes to get my hair done by a black woman because that’s what I needed. My upbringing was perfect honestly. Although I had everything I ever wanted and needed. My entire family was white. I grew up in a 4,500 populated town, consisted of 91.9% of white people. As a black girl who was adopted into a white family, in a white town I had longed for a “black” connection my entire life. Going through school I had never had a colored teacher, or administrator I had looked up to.
In 8th grade I visited my best friend who had moved to Georgia. I flew into Atlanta and from the moment I got into the airport I knew I wanted my life to be there. The atmosphere and the people were so different than my small town. I looked into a crowd of so many different ethical groups which something I’d have never experienced. That moment, made me want to have an opportunity to be around people who look and are like me.
Throughout high school I continued to look into schools and colleges in Georgia so I could pursue my education in the dream place I thought of. When senior year came, I struggled heavily with who I was as a person. I started smoking weed and that’s all I did, lost myself a lot. When May came and all my friends were posting their schools I realized I wouldn’t be going away because I chose something else over my dream. Fall I was enrolled for Brookdale community college, I had went to an in and out patient place for help on marijuana use and started to work towards my dream again. Covid happened and I fell back with motivation to do class online, I didn’t sign up for classes and opened my schedule up for more work. Over the next year I had gained back motivation and went back to school.
I got a job at a restaurant in my town, which gave me so many different opportunities. I am a huge people person and I got to meet so many great people from the restaurant. I love dogs, and started dog sitting and walking, just to get out more and meet more people. I also love kids and nannied for a family, while also being “my favorite babysitter” to 4 more families. I joined the recreational committee for my town which is for the youth in our town to give to our kids. The love from the people I have met throughout my life in this town is what keeps me going. I love my town and my people and they love me back which is shown daily as I walk to my many jobs.
I started thinking about my birth family more often and grew the courage to message my birth mom. I told her who I was and asked her how she was, if we could meet and asked if I had siblings. She responded a year later, letting me know that we couldn’t meet but when time was right we would. She informed me that yes I do have siblings, I have 4. All but 1 had been adopted. I got in touch with my youngest sister. I got the other names and went to social media. I had found 2 of my sisters and it was an amazing feeling.
Over the next 6 months my curiosity of who my birth father was grew. I reached out to my birth mom again who gave me his name and gave him mine. He reached out to me. That day in June felt like the best day of my life. He had told me who he was, that I had 11 other siblings from him. He explained his side of how I had gotten here and tried to start having a relationship with me. We slowly started becoming fast friends and I finally felt like I knew someone who was me. He was living with his girlfriend Stephanie in Georgia.
When I had told Stephanie of my dreams she encouraged me to take a trip down to them and visit Georgia State University. In October I did, my love for the state of Georgia, the city for Atlanta and kindness she showed me just made it click. I loved what the school had to offer, it’s location of being right in the heart made it greater. I had met students during my trip who became friends. That trip I decided yes this is my place. Stephanie opened her house to me and encouraged I moved there so I could have the chance of paying In-State tuition. Over the next year my relationship with both my birth father and Stephanie had grown.
Over that time, I had also started to learn more about who they were as people. My birth father was a 62 year old man who had a violent temper and no motivation for anything except himself. Stephanie had the biggest heart, who loved him and wanted to help him see that he could have a big heart too. She had too much of him doing nothing and decided to break up. She had told me that I still was important to her and she wanted to help me get to my dream anyway possible. I had applied for the Spring 2023 semester, and was working many different jobs to save.
September 8th my life changed for the worst. I went to Facebook that Stephanie was tagged in saying she had been killed. I immediately called my birth father, he didn’t answer and I knew something was wrong. That night I found out my birth father had killed her. He broke into her house, got into an argument with her shot her and ran. She was the first woman I felt like was a “black mom” to me. Now she was gone by my birth father who was supposed to be my best friend. The hopes of going to Georgia State started to slip away. The want to go to Georgia State was gone. I gave up on my dreams and started figuring out a new plan. Then I got my acceptance letter. I called Stephanie’s son and told him and he told me “that’s my mom sending down her sparkle to let you know you got this with or without her physical being”. I realized that my life hasn’t been the greatest. But I was given the opportunity to do something great with it and that I will.
I reached another hurdle with financial support. My parents aren’t able to help out. Their income is “too much” to get money from the government. I don’t get approved for any loans on my own, and I don’t have an eligible co-signer to take one out. I changed my enrollment to online for the spring semester so I can start my educational journey at GSU. I choose to stay optimistic for Stephanie Johnson who always did everything with a smile and care. Getting an education is important to me, and pursuing it at Georgia State University is now my dream. I want to continue to grow educationally and learn new aspects to life with the help of what GSU has to provide and offer me. Thank you, Zaniah Sharkey