Aaliyah, 19 years old, TX

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Aaliyah entered foster care at a young age with her twin brother after they were abandoned at a hotel. They were later adopted, but unfortunately, things did not work out in their adoptive home. After spending some time with friends, Aaliyah remained a model student in high school but soon faced the possibility of becoming homeless as a senior. With the help of the McKinney-Vento Act, she has found temporary placement in a group home located 20 miles from her school.

Aaliyah has worked incredibly hard to make her dream of attending college a reality. After spending part of her childhood in foster care, she was adopted with the hope of finding the permanent family and stability every child deserves. Unfortunately, at 17, Aaliyah was abandoned by her adoptive parent and is currently living in transitional housing for youth experiencing homelessness. Despite everything she has experienced, Aaliyah remained focused on her future. She earned a $22,000 annual track scholarship to Missouri Baptist University, secured financial aid, worked throughout the summer, and saved $1,000 of her own money toward school expenses. With help covering her remaining tuition gap, Aaliyah is now able to begin college. There is just one more important piece of stability she needs. When the university closes for Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring break, and summer, most students simply go home. Aaliyah does not have a home or family to return to during those breaks. Thankfully, the university will allow Aaliyah to remain in campus housing, but she must pay additional extended housing fees: Thanksgiving Break: $540 Christmas Break: $1,080 Spring Break: $540 Summer Break: $1,300 Total Extended Housing Cost: $3,460 We hope that Aaliyah makes wonderful friends at college and finds people who invite her to Thanksgiving dinners, holiday celebrations, and summer adventures. We hope she builds a community around herself that begins to feel like family. But Aaliyah's housing should never depend on receiving an invitation. This wish will give Aaliyah the peace of mind of knowing that no matter what happens during school breaks, she has a safe place to sleep and somewhere she belongs. After working so hard to get to college, she deserves to focus on being a student, running track, making friends, and building her future without worrying about where she will go when everyone else goes home.