I need temporary financial help to pay for rent and groceries for a total amount of $10,000 for my sister and I by October 22, 2025.

My life seemed tolerable. I wasn’t exactly satisfied with the current state of my life, but I knew that I was at least working towards the future that I wanted. I graduated valedictorian of my high school class and earned the Zell Miller Scholarship, which pays for full tuition. Then, I became a full-time college student living on campus, pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration and majoring in Marketing, and I completed 2 1/2 years and maintained staying on the Dean's List with a 3.8 G.P.A.. Life was progressing. Sure, school was stressful as it usually was, and I was barely holding on just like I was in high school, but it was tolerable.

I came from a toxic household, so going to college felt like the closest I’d ever been to not just freedom, but genuine happiness. Since the Zell Miller Scholarship doesn’t pay for everything, I applied to scholarships constantly, barely making enough every semester. saving most of it for the next semester and only buying necessities for college such as school supplies and hygiene products. Even with the school supplies, I reused the same notebooks and materials to save money. And then, I ran out of money for school and I didn’t have enough to go back to school (even for online). So, I stayed home.

It wasn’t until I returned home after experiencing college life, that I realized how toxic my family was and everything I experienced in my upbringing. At home, I used that time to save up and focus on making money online by becoming a content creator. After watching so many people online start content creation and YouTube channels, I thought, “I can do that too.” Unfortunately, I didn’t make any money yet, but I was determined to have some income before I left. The thoughts of working a job in the neighborhood and doing YouTube came to my mind often, but my body physically couldn’t do both. Being home and this time having a name for all the emotional, mental, religious, and physical abuse I was experiencing, I was depressed, burned out, and anxious. Most days were miserable despite my best efforts to stay optimistic. I was mad at myself for ‘wasting’ my money on college when I could have used that to work, save up, get an apartment, and actually leave. But, I didn’t know any better at the time.

After saving every bit of money I made from scholarships to birthday money, I finally saved enough. But this time, I was mentally scared because of the scare tactics my mother constantly used, saying things like, “You would be on the streets if it wasn’t for me. You should be happy I let you live here. Any other mother would’ve kicked you out.” My fear was living paycheck to paycheck or worse, being homeless if I was suddenly let go from a job. Part of me felt lost and confused since she’s the one who strongly advised me to spend all my money for college despite her constantly reminding me growing up that one of her biggest regrets was taking college loans, in which she paid for over 20 years for. It wasn’t until, for the first time, I started watching YouTube videos about “moving-out” and “getting your own apartment.” That’s when I finally got the confidence to actually leave. I stopped letting fear guide my life and started using positivity instead, and I didn’t want to make any more excuses or experience any more abuse. So, I finally left. Well, my sister and I finally left. I saved at least 2 months of living expenses. But the problem was, we spent more than we thought, and when we applied for over 300 entry-level jobs in the neighborhood and online, including staffing agencies, we were denied. And now, we don’t have enough time to wait around for a job offer. We need money now.

I know asking for money is very… I don’t know how to word it, but some people will think we’re lazy and didn’t do enough. But, we did. We did a lot, and this is us trying to survive, trying to have hope, and to keep going. This is my first GoFundMe ever because I was taught to make my own money and to never ask for money, let alone beg. But, this is serious, and the saying goes, ‘a closed mouth don’t get fed.’ And this is quite literal, considering we literally need money for groceries too, but we just need temporary help. Just enough for us to build up our savings for a few months. After moving out, we have been working even harder and have been very consistent on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. We also have several gigs on Fiverr, listings on Etsy, Printify, and Patreon. And, going back ‘home’ is not an option. It never felt like home. It was hell and a prison at the same time. We just need assistance for now. Thank you to everyone who has read this, and thank you in advance to all who donate.