Hello, my name is Steve, and I’m a high school teacher at WA with 25 years in the classroom. Over the years, you meet students who truly touch your heart—and Megan is one of them.

Megan was never a straight-A student in my class; in fact, she struggled. One memory I’ll never forget is the day she was so embarrassed by a low test grade that she stormed out of class. When I caught up to her in the hallway, we bonded over my own struggles in high school. That day, I saw a turning point.

Soon after, I started taking her on challenging and successful adventures, from a hike up Mount Monadnock to an interstate bike ride. She was starting to see herself not as a failure, but as someone capable of success.

Now, in her twenties, Megan is financially stagnant. She is working as a produce stocker at a local supermarket, living paycheck to paycheck. While Massachusetts now offers free community college, Megan can’t take advantage of it. She still owes several thousand dollars from a previous, unsuccessful attempt at higher education, and that debt has locked her out.

She is at a critical turning point in her life. A minimum wage job can be a dead end, but an education—even part-time in the evenings—can be a life-changing foundation.

Please help us pay off this barrier debt so Megan can go back to school for free. With your support, we can unlock her future and help her step off the minimum wage wheel for good. Thank you for your kindness.