Hi, I'm Kacee and I am raising funds to support myself through college. I graduated from community college and a STEM high school with honors at 18 years old, paying the majority of my tuition by myself. I worked two full-time jobs and did my classes online my senior year in order to graduate high school with an Associate of Arts after being kicked out of my home just a week after turning 18. I am now a health science major, honors minor, and pre-medical focused student at a university. I attend school full-time and work two jobs, as a nursing assistant and housekeeper. I work five days a week. However, I currently earn $16 an hour, making covering my total tuition extremely difficult. My income doesn't cover everything I need to stay on track.

I come from an abusive household and although I live in a safe environment with my Grandma now, she is a few years away from retirement and is unable to support me any more than she already does. I am incredibly grateful to her, as she makes me feel safe and without her, I wouldn't be enrolled in school at all. Since her retirement is close, she cannot co-sign loans for my schooling. I cannot get approved for student loans with my own income and existing medical debt. I have applied for hardship for my medical debt but was denied.

About a year ago, my grandpa on the other side of my family passed away. He was an incredibly generous man and set aside approximately $15,000 for my education. He set this money aside my freshman year of high school, and I was told it would be my graduation gift. Unfortunately, he passed about six months before my graduation. Now that he is no longer here, he could not ensure the money intended for my education was used correctly. I never received these funds and did not have an adequate amount of time to prepare for long-term need. I managed to save enough to pay for my first year at university, but now I am running out of options.

There have been more setbacks than I ever expected, but I refuse to give up on myself and my education. I am trying my best, but I am struggling to reach my goals.

I never thought I would be the person making a GoFundMe. I never thought I would struggle this much through school. But I have decided to put my pride aside to give myself the best chance of graduating. Any support, even a small amount, would help me reach my Bachelor's of Science in Health Science. I am setting my goal at five thousand because that amount will cover one semester of my schooling, but as I only have four semesters left, it will take a great weight off my shoulders. I appreciate any support at all. If you are unable to donate, please consider sharing.

Thank you for taking the time to read and share my story. It means more than I can express, and know that I am extremely grateful for any help at all.