Hi, my name is Ky, I'm 19 years old, and I need support to continue my education.

I come from an extremely abusive home that involved neglect through starvation and denied medical care, as well as verbal and emotional abuse. I have been financially independent since I was 16, working 20 hours a week at a local restaurant, graduating high school two years early so that I could enroll full time in a community college, and moving into in my own apartment at the age of 17. During this time I saved up as much money as I could, which was enough to support myself through one year of college. However, after my parents discovered that I was queer and trans, they cut me off completely and reported my car license as stolen. I have been diagnosed with three mental illnesses (and am in the process of potentially getting diagnosed with a fourth), and luckily my therapy is covered under a college grant, but I'm still struggling under the weight of all my bills; car insurance, health insurance, medication bills, tuition, rent, groceries, utilities, phone plan, gas, helping my friends pay for their life-saving medication because they can't afford it, and basic necessities. Everything I own was gifted to me from charity. I'm currently working two jobs to support myself while attending college full time, but I'm absolutely exhausted. I wasn't able to qualify for scholarships due to my parents making too much money (despite the fact that they aren't supporting me), and I am currently in the process of applying for financial independence so that I can qualify for FAFSA, but I have no way of knowing if it'll go through until late summer. I don't have a safety net and I am physically incapable of working any harder than I already am, but I can't take a break because I am not financially stable enough.

Any money helps, even if it's just a couple of dollars. I can make anything stretch, and I've already budgeted for the next two years (my budgeting skills are how I've made it this far).

Thank you for reading <3