- So, I have a deadline of about an hour
to get a two page paper in.
Haven't been able to get it done over the last week.
It's a lot of...
I dunno, activity distractions
at the place that I'm couch surfin' at.
So it's really not a ideal situation
to get my homework done, so I'm here down
to the wire tryin' to get it finished.
(sad spacey music)
Right now, me and my son,
we're sharing a couch of a friend.
He lays at one end and I lay on the other,
and it's hard to get, you know, decent sleep on a couch.
I'm up almost like six feet,
so it's like I have to position my body a certain way.
It's time (murmuring)
to get up for school, come on.
At night I probably get three to five hours sleep.
(humming)
It's not easy. (chuckling)
It's not free, you know.
I think people have the wrong, you know,
portrayal of it.
You know, you just show up and sleep on someone's couch.
No, you're usin' their electricity,
usin' their gas, usin' their water.
So it's tough to be stable.
At any given day, or night, or time,
it could be your last moment at the residence.
It's like walkin' on eggshells.
You never know what the person
that you're livin' with is dealing with.
I mean, it may not have anything to do wit' you,
but in turn you're there, so
you're kinda takin' some of that on.
In my experience in the last year and a half
with couch surfin', they say that my house
is your house, but in turn, it's really their house,
it's actually their house and their rules.
So it's just lookin' over your shoulder,
makin' sure that you're not causing any strife
or complicating whatever they have going on.
Throughout the day, you're constantly thinking
is this gonna be my last night here?
It's just not a stable situation.
(moves into jittery upbeat dance music)
Right now I am working towards a behavior health degree.
I am five classes shy of graduating
from Community College of Philidelphia.
And this will be my second degree.
My hope is to combine it with my previous degree,
which is in art and design, and I want
to develop a program where we engage
at risk youth in a way where they utilize
multimedia to talk about the stories
that empower them, but also maybe to transcend
some of the negativity and give voice
to the things that they really care about.
When I was accepted to Penn State University, I was in
the department of human services as a ward of the court.
I was 17.
I was in a facility called Southern Homes.
My DHS worker, when it was time to go to class,
they picked me up, drove me to Penn State,
which was about four hours from Philly,
and dropped me off with a trash bag.
All the other children had their parents,
and you know, they were movin' their stuff in their dorms.
I just felt out of place.
I didn't feel like I belonged there.
When you come from, I guess, where I come from
and you have limited resources,
whether it be, you know, financial capital
or social capital, it's tough!
And I mean, like I said, I was a ward of the court
from 11 to about 20 years old.
So the system was my parent, and I think they failed me.
So the reality of a community college student
being able to transition to a four year university,
especially a university as notable and prestigious
as NYU, it's, like, next to impossible.
Even if you have the grades, you have the portfolio,
none of that matters when it comes time
for the bill. (chuckling)
You know, money talks,
and unfortunately college has become a business.
So people like me often fall through the cracks.
Bein' a homeless college student
and how we get through, it's hard!
It's difficult.
I mean, not knowin' where you gonna be at
from one day to the next, I guess you're just worryin'
about what the effects are gonna be like in the future.
So I think that's just my number one motivating force,
is just to march on.
Some days, you know, I can't eat the way that I want
because I have to really ration
the little resources that I have.
Being homeless and still havin' to show up every day,
you know, show up for life, show up for your kid,
show up for class, is probably one
of the hardest things that I have ever had to do.
I mean, it makes it hard to concentrate and focus.
Sometimes you're just, you're worried
about where you're gonna get your next meal,
is this the day that they're gonna say you have to leave.
So it makes it extremely hard to be successful as a student.
And then I have a 3.7,
so you know, I work extra hard to try to make up for it.
I love learning!
With the assistance of a book, you can travel,
you can learn other cultures, you can go on adventures.
I mean, learning has always been
just somethin' that I've held onto
because no one can take it away from you.
Once you've learned something,
you have that information, and you've been able
to internalize what you learned.
It's special teaching my son the importance
of an education on the world which we live.
I try to instill that in him every day,
that your education will take you further than money,
further than material possessions,
further than friends, family.
And once you have it, no one can take that away from you.
(moves into emotional dance music)
If you're a homeless college student,
I know it may be hard to speak up.
But please, find a faculty member or a professor
that you trust and ask for help.
There are plenty of organizations and resources out there
that can assist you during your time of need.
If it wasn't for the outpouring support
from faculty members, I wouldn't a made it this far.
There are more students out there facing hard times
than you know, and they need your help.
Professors, you need to look for the signs.
Please be open to listening.
Create a safe space for students
to come and share their stories of homelessness.
We need you.