Hello, my name is Alex Wilkinson. I have always had a drive to explore the world through education and through the lens of an artist. My passion for learning and for creating led me to my dream school, Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), where I attended and thrived during my freshman year. After MICA closed due to the pandemic, I was forced to go back to my childhood home early and realized that my household had become an unsafe place for me to live. I had came out to my friends and family in college as a part of the LGBTQ+ community (gender non-binary), which was not supported by my parents. Although there were years of prior abusive incidents in that house including being locked out at night after an argument my junior year of high school, I never thought that the situation would turn violent. Finally, two weeks prior to me leaving, I was forced into a quarantine (without having been tested) in my room where my parents insisted on delivering my food to me. There were several occasions in which my parents forgot to deliver water or meals and I was not allowed to shower at my own will. This abusive behavior led up to a physical altercation and I realized that I needed to leave for my own safety. Since I moved out, I have been temporarily staying at a friend’s house for the past two months with no savings and no job (although I am looking every day). My father refuses to pay for my college tuition (forcing me to take a gap year from MICA) and refuses to support me in any other capacity. I need help paying for a safe place to live and food on the table. Funds raised will be used on an apartment to share (lease, utility, deposit, and rent) and for basic living expenses including basic furnishings, food and medical insurance that my parents took away from me. If you would like to view my work, my art can be found on instagram @starry_ni9hts