Climbing the Ladder of Justice: Help Liberty Reach the Top

My name is Liberty (ironic given my field of study, but yes, that is my birth name), and I am a first-generation college student.

I’ve spent my entire life not wishing on stars, but building ladders to reach them.

When I was 15 years old, I began dual enrollment — spending my days in college classrooms and my nights buried in lectures and assignments. I pushed myself to take 6–9 classes each trimester, all while participating in Business Professionals of America, the Philosophy Club, Student Senate, National Honor Society, and Creative Writing Club. I worked part-time at West Shore Community College as a College Relations Assistant and Summer Program Coordinator’s Assistant, and took night shifts as a sales associate at a gas station.

Hard work is second nature to me. Growing up in a single-parent household, with my mom chronically ill, I learned to take pride in my work, to stay humble, and to never be ashamed to ask for help when it’s truly needed.

But my journey hasn’t been easy. I’ve faced severe bullying, high anxiety, and a fear of failure that I’ve fought to overcome every day. My school district failed to identify my learning disability, dyscalculia, until my Junior year of high school, forcing me to retake every math class.

Despite it all, I persevered. I started college at 15, graduated high school with Honors and my associate degree, and now I’ve been accepted into the University of Detroit-Mercy to pursue my BA/MS in Criminal Justice/Intelligence Analysis.

Why this path? Because I’ve seen how the criminal justice system often treats people differently based on their bank account, not their guilt or innocence. I want to help create equity in that system — to ensure that both victims and the accused are given the same respect, care, and defense, regardless of wealth. I want to be the person standing beside those who feel unheard, and I hope to inspire other first-generation students, especially young girls, to break into male-dominated fields and lead with strength and compassion.

I’m doing everything I can to make this happen. I work two full-time jobs. I budget carefully. But even with all of that, I can’t cover the full cost of college expenses, including on-campus housing. The recent uncertainty with federal funding has left students like me scrambling, and without help.

I have built my ladder of success. I am climbing it. But I still need a spotter to make sure I don’t fall before I reach the top.

Your donation isn’t just helping me pay for school — it’s an investment in the lives I will one day fight for. If you can, please donate or share my story. Every dollar and every share gets me one step closer to reaching the top and pulling others up with me.

Thank you for believing in me; I look forward to sharing this journey with you!