I was medically retired from the federal government in 2016. After spending some time working on my health, I decided to return to college to complete my Bachelor's degree. After doing so, I went on to achieve my Master's in Criminal Justice.

Towards the end of my Criminal Justice degree, I decided that I wanted to help mentally ill individuals who only had a criminal background due to their unsuccessfully treated mental health. I looked into Counseling, then decided upon pursuing a Master's degree in Social Work.

The first semester that I was enrolled in Social Work at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, OK, I was injured in a car accident and ended up having to withdraw for medical purposes. That was one semester of financial aid down the drain. I had to wait a year to heal and return.

My 4th semester, I was required to do an on-site Practicum experience. Although I learned A LOT during my experiences, it became obvious by the end of the semester that my field instructor wasn't in favor of my advancement in the field. I tried to roll with the punches and pushed myself to be the contradictory aspects of a student that I was told to be. It didn't matter.

Early in my 5th semester, I was abruptly and without warning dismissed from my field location. In addition, I was lied upon by my field instructor. To top it off, the lies were aimed at getting me dismissed from the Social Work program all together. Fortunately, they failed to that extent, but I was encouraged to withdraw from the semester to prevent being given a bad grade, since there wasn't time to find a new field location.

I am now no longer eligible for financial aid. My only hope for continuing my education is via grants, scholarships and this fundraiser. Since this is my 2nd Master's degree, I don't qualify for much and haven't received others.