Left heroin and headed to the Ivy League.
Donation protected
THE STORY
My name is Matt Norman. I grew up in Madison, AL, and graduated from Bob Jones High School in 2001. I am an Eagle Scout and spent my youth involved in scouts, sports, and church. Although I was very involved, I was insecure, and plagued with self-doubt. At fifteen, my mom died, and I turned to drugs to console me.
I spent the next 18 years of my life strung out and became an IV heroin user. Somehow, I was able to marry, and become the General Manager of a restaurant. Of course, I lost it all. I divorced, got fired, and abandoned my dignity and self-respect. Suicidal, and seemingly without hope, I checked into a Christian men’s drug recovery center in Huntsville, AL named His Way. I have been sober ever since.
At His Way, I realized the freedom that I have in sobriety, and that this freedom comes from Jesus Christ. The classes at His Way inspired me to go to college. Last year, 2018-2019, I took classes at Calhoun Community College in Huntsville, AL, and kept a 4.0. I soon decided that I wanted more of a challenge, so I transferred to the Honors College at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. UAH is great, but my dream is to become a professor of philosophy, and I would love to go to a school with a very strong Liberal Arts program.
I try to push myself in academics as hard as I can. Last summer I applied for a writers workshop at Yale University. To my astonishment, they accepted me. I spent a week at Yale speaking with many Ivy League students and professors about what makes an Ivy League education. After that week, I knew that I wanted, and needed, to be a part of that rigorous academic environment.
I did some research and found the College of General Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York. It is one of three undergraduate colleges of the University. The College of General Studies is for non-traditional students and is fully integrated into the University’s undergraduate program. I applied and was accepted for Spring 2020! However, Columbia is very expensive, and I have deferred my entrance until Fall of 2020 in order to give me some time to fundraise.
THE COST
Columbia will cost $78, 884 a year. As it stands, with scholarships from Columbia, federal grants, and federal loans, I have $36,096 dollars in aid. That leaves $42,788 to either borrow or come up with a year. I will hopefully be attending Columbia for the next two years, which means that I need to come up with $85,576. I do not mind taking loans. However, no one is giving a loan to a recovering heroin addict. Therefore, I need a cosigner. I have spreadsheets with complete financial breakdowns and will email them to anyone who would like to see.
WHY NOT STAY AT UAH?
UAH is a great school. However, it is strongest in the natural sciences and research. Columbia will better position me to enter a funded (free and paid) Ph.D. program in philosophy so that I may become a professor. Also, this story is bigger than me and will, I hope, inspire others. This story is about His Way, redemption, and the art of the possible. I plan to spend the rest of my life working with those in recovery and helping them to find a way out of the despair and hopelessness of addiction. This tale of leaving heroin and heading to the Ivy League can help me do that.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Honestly, I am quite embarrassed to ask for money. But I need it, and I certainly won’t have it if I don’t ask. So please, help me out. I will pay it forward as long as I am physically and mentally able by staying involved in addiction recovery. I understand that giving a recovering heroin addict money is a bit discomforting. I will have a trust of sorts, or at least a few people to oversee all money so that it will be used for this. I can give details about this also. Any money gained from this will go to an overseer to be distributed directly to Columbia.
My name is Matt Norman. I grew up in Madison, AL, and graduated from Bob Jones High School in 2001. I am an Eagle Scout and spent my youth involved in scouts, sports, and church. Although I was very involved, I was insecure, and plagued with self-doubt. At fifteen, my mom died, and I turned to drugs to console me.
I spent the next 18 years of my life strung out and became an IV heroin user. Somehow, I was able to marry, and become the General Manager of a restaurant. Of course, I lost it all. I divorced, got fired, and abandoned my dignity and self-respect. Suicidal, and seemingly without hope, I checked into a Christian men’s drug recovery center in Huntsville, AL named His Way. I have been sober ever since.
At His Way, I realized the freedom that I have in sobriety, and that this freedom comes from Jesus Christ. The classes at His Way inspired me to go to college. Last year, 2018-2019, I took classes at Calhoun Community College in Huntsville, AL, and kept a 4.0. I soon decided that I wanted more of a challenge, so I transferred to the Honors College at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. UAH is great, but my dream is to become a professor of philosophy, and I would love to go to a school with a very strong Liberal Arts program.
I try to push myself in academics as hard as I can. Last summer I applied for a writers workshop at Yale University. To my astonishment, they accepted me. I spent a week at Yale speaking with many Ivy League students and professors about what makes an Ivy League education. After that week, I knew that I wanted, and needed, to be a part of that rigorous academic environment.
I did some research and found the College of General Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York. It is one of three undergraduate colleges of the University. The College of General Studies is for non-traditional students and is fully integrated into the University’s undergraduate program. I applied and was accepted for Spring 2020! However, Columbia is very expensive, and I have deferred my entrance until Fall of 2020 in order to give me some time to fundraise.
THE COST
Columbia will cost $78, 884 a year. As it stands, with scholarships from Columbia, federal grants, and federal loans, I have $36,096 dollars in aid. That leaves $42,788 to either borrow or come up with a year. I will hopefully be attending Columbia for the next two years, which means that I need to come up with $85,576. I do not mind taking loans. However, no one is giving a loan to a recovering heroin addict. Therefore, I need a cosigner. I have spreadsheets with complete financial breakdowns and will email them to anyone who would like to see.
WHY NOT STAY AT UAH?
UAH is a great school. However, it is strongest in the natural sciences and research. Columbia will better position me to enter a funded (free and paid) Ph.D. program in philosophy so that I may become a professor. Also, this story is bigger than me and will, I hope, inspire others. This story is about His Way, redemption, and the art of the possible. I plan to spend the rest of my life working with those in recovery and helping them to find a way out of the despair and hopelessness of addiction. This tale of leaving heroin and heading to the Ivy League can help me do that.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Honestly, I am quite embarrassed to ask for money. But I need it, and I certainly won’t have it if I don’t ask. So please, help me out. I will pay it forward as long as I am physically and mentally able by staying involved in addiction recovery. I understand that giving a recovering heroin addict money is a bit discomforting. I will have a trust of sorts, or at least a few people to oversee all money so that it will be used for this. I can give details about this also. Any money gained from this will go to an overseer to be distributed directly to Columbia.
Organizer
Matthew Norman
Organizer
Huntsville, AL
