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Hi! My name is Justin and I am a 19 year old computer science college student.
I go to Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, TN and so far it has been a great experience. There has only been one real challenge however...housing. College itself is already really hard and stressful. It is even harder when you are a full time student working 2 jobs and still can not afford an apartment for yourself. While being unable to receive enough financial aid from the school, I eventually had to cancel my meal plan and dormitories just to be able to pay for classes. For the last semesters through the burning hot of summer and freezing winter I have lived in my car... Yes. My little honda civic. Since the car was now my home, I did everything in it! I ate, I slept, I did my homework, and sometimes I would even just relax.
I had gotten so used to and attached to the civic I even named it. I decide to name her Wanda. Wanda the Honda was her name. The first night sleeping in Wanda was the worst. I decided to park in a church parking lot only to be run off by police in the middle of my restless night. A couple of more spots seemed okay but all ended by being run off by police. I eventually settled down at a truck stop about 15 minutes from campus. It was a little worrisome sleeping there having strange people knocking on the windows and yelling right next to Wanda. By the last night I got to stay in her I had gotten used to living with the knocks and yells, low income, sneaking into dorms for showers and to brush my teeth and staying in the school library so I could stay out of the hot/cold night sleeps that awaited me. I couldn't afford to keep Wanda running at night because I did not have the gas to spare. Friends have asked me why I always have so much canned food in the trunk or why I have so many pillows and blankets in the car and I always found a new excuse because it was such an embarrassing situation. "Oh yeah! I'm just doing laundry today." or "Yeah, I just stayed at a friend's house last night.", that was my most common one. The first week, beginning another semester in Wanda I heard of a big winter storm coming so I bought a tarp to throw over wanda to keep the snow and ice off of her. Amazingly on Friday 1/22/16, hours before the winter storm, my classes were cancelled and I was ecstatic to make the 2 1/2 hour drive back to my hometown to maybe be able to go sledding and build a snowman and most of all, sleep on a bed. None of that came true. I was about 20 minutes from home and then the unthinkable happened. The roads were wet and I was only going 50 miles per hour on the interstate being careful to take care of my home away from home. Everything was going so great. I was just singing and laughing, just being happy to get home and not caring that everyone was passing me. Suddenly two trucks come speeding by, splashing large amounts of water under Wanda and all over her windshield causing her to hydroplane. It all happened so fast, there was no coming back. I was spinning for what seemed like an eternity, everything was in slow motion. I stomped on the break and just held the steering wheel tight and then just a sudden STOP and a thud. I hit a light pole going 50 mph completely crushing Wanda's trunk and knocking the light pole down landing on Wanda's roof. The back windshield was shattered letting rain into Wanda. After analyzing the situation and contacting the needed people, I threw the tarp I had bought for the snow storm over wanda to keep my belongings in the back seat somewhat dry. I thought I was alright although I was no where close. I received a concussion and severe whiplash and multiple hidden injuries even with a seat belt on. I got out to examine Wanda and I noticed a dent on her roof the size of the light pole and the 2 left side tires had been popped. When I got to the trunk my heart was crushed along with my laptop. 
My canned foods were dripping out of the trunk onto the ground. The police arrived and honestly treated me terribly, like I was scum. How dare I to knock down 1 of your 400 light poles. My wallet containing my insurance card, debit card, and Social Security card (that was dumb on my part), and my drivers license must have been thrown through the back window because it was nowhere to be found. At this point the officer had gotten back into his squad car leaving me to freeze, soaked in rain after looking for my wallet endlessly. The only thing I could do is get back in Wanda and cover up with my soaking wet blankets until the tow truck arrived. I later found out that getting back in was very dangerous due to the fact the airbags could have deployed late and cause serious injuries, but it was better than freezing. The tow truck arrived and I helped pick up parts of Wanda off the ground. I watched Wanda be dragged off the road onto the truck and just thinking what I can do now to get back to school and provide for myself now with no car, and without my home, Wanda.
I never thought I could feel so useless or helpless but this is the only thing I can do now. Anything will help me.
Thank you guys for getting this far.
-Justin
I go to Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, TN and so far it has been a great experience. There has only been one real challenge however...housing. College itself is already really hard and stressful. It is even harder when you are a full time student working 2 jobs and still can not afford an apartment for yourself. While being unable to receive enough financial aid from the school, I eventually had to cancel my meal plan and dormitories just to be able to pay for classes. For the last semesters through the burning hot of summer and freezing winter I have lived in my car... Yes. My little honda civic. Since the car was now my home, I did everything in it! I ate, I slept, I did my homework, and sometimes I would even just relax. I had gotten so used to and attached to the civic I even named it. I decide to name her Wanda. Wanda the Honda was her name. The first night sleeping in Wanda was the worst. I decided to park in a church parking lot only to be run off by police in the middle of my restless night. A couple of more spots seemed okay but all ended by being run off by police. I eventually settled down at a truck stop about 15 minutes from campus. It was a little worrisome sleeping there having strange people knocking on the windows and yelling right next to Wanda. By the last night I got to stay in her I had gotten used to living with the knocks and yells, low income, sneaking into dorms for showers and to brush my teeth and staying in the school library so I could stay out of the hot/cold night sleeps that awaited me. I couldn't afford to keep Wanda running at night because I did not have the gas to spare. Friends have asked me why I always have so much canned food in the trunk or why I have so many pillows and blankets in the car and I always found a new excuse because it was such an embarrassing situation. "Oh yeah! I'm just doing laundry today." or "Yeah, I just stayed at a friend's house last night.", that was my most common one. The first week, beginning another semester in Wanda I heard of a big winter storm coming so I bought a tarp to throw over wanda to keep the snow and ice off of her. Amazingly on Friday 1/22/16, hours before the winter storm, my classes were cancelled and I was ecstatic to make the 2 1/2 hour drive back to my hometown to maybe be able to go sledding and build a snowman and most of all, sleep on a bed. None of that came true. I was about 20 minutes from home and then the unthinkable happened. The roads were wet and I was only going 50 miles per hour on the interstate being careful to take care of my home away from home. Everything was going so great. I was just singing and laughing, just being happy to get home and not caring that everyone was passing me. Suddenly two trucks come speeding by, splashing large amounts of water under Wanda and all over her windshield causing her to hydroplane. It all happened so fast, there was no coming back. I was spinning for what seemed like an eternity, everything was in slow motion. I stomped on the break and just held the steering wheel tight and then just a sudden STOP and a thud. I hit a light pole going 50 mph completely crushing Wanda's trunk and knocking the light pole down landing on Wanda's roof. The back windshield was shattered letting rain into Wanda. After analyzing the situation and contacting the needed people, I threw the tarp I had bought for the snow storm over wanda to keep my belongings in the back seat somewhat dry. I thought I was alright although I was no where close. I received a concussion and severe whiplash and multiple hidden injuries even with a seat belt on. I got out to examine Wanda and I noticed a dent on her roof the size of the light pole and the 2 left side tires had been popped. When I got to the trunk my heart was crushed along with my laptop. My canned foods were dripping out of the trunk onto the ground. The police arrived and honestly treated me terribly, like I was scum. How dare I to knock down 1 of your 400 light poles. My wallet containing my insurance card, debit card, and Social Security card (that was dumb on my part), and my drivers license must have been thrown through the back window because it was nowhere to be found. At this point the officer had gotten back into his squad car leaving me to freeze, soaked in rain after looking for my wallet endlessly. The only thing I could do is get back in Wanda and cover up with my soaking wet blankets until the tow truck arrived. I later found out that getting back in was very dangerous due to the fact the airbags could have deployed late and cause serious injuries, but it was better than freezing. The tow truck arrived and I helped pick up parts of Wanda off the ground. I watched Wanda be dragged off the road onto the truck and just thinking what I can do now to get back to school and provide for myself now with no car, and without my home, Wanda. I never thought I could feel so useless or helpless but this is the only thing I can do now. Anything will help me.
Thank you guys for getting this far.
-Justin