JonahsEducationAndMomsPeace

Hello! My name is Jonah C. Martin, and I am a college student studying mechanical engineering. I grew up in the Bronx, New York, with my mother, Janice Peterkin. Ever since I was a child, my mother has been there for me in every way possible. If I got so much as a scratch on my arm, my mother would drop whatever it was she was doing, and rush to make sure that I was alright. My father, although he does contribute to my life, is a very minor input, as he lives in Jamaica, and I only see him during the summer, or other long vacations. Due to this, my mother has been working 2 jobs to support the both of us for as long as I can remember. When I was in elementary school, I would go to an afterschool program until she finished her first job, where she would then come to pick me up, and take me to either a relative's house, or an extracurricular activity to keep me busy while she finished her second job. In middle school, my mother remarried, we moved to New Jersey, and for 3 years, I had a father figure who I lived with. It felt like I had a stable family, but after COVID, that fell apart, and my mother returned to New York. However, due to the fact that my mother was going through so many things at that time- her divorce, the stress of finding a new place to live, and me- we agreed that I would go to Jamaica with my dad, and attend a boarding school there. Up until that point, I was a straight-A student, and had never in my life even imagined I would get below a B in a class. But due to the unfamiliar environment, and poor living conditions of the school, I really struggled with classes. After seeing my grades take a turn that was very unlike me, my mother once again rescued me, and brought me back to New York with her. After this, I got back into my stride, and while the bad grades from Jamaica did take a toll on my GPA, I did manage to bring it back up with the remaining 3 years of high school, and get myself into the astounding Quinnipiac University. Tuition at Quinnipiac is rather expensive, however, thanks to the scholarships I received from the institution, as well as outside scholarships, I've managed to get costs down to around 25k per year. Despite my efforts of trying to convince my mother to allow me to deal with the finances, she continues to work 2 jobs to support me. She was eligible for retirement 2 years ago, yet she still wakes up at 5:30 AM Monday-Friday, leaves for work by 6:30 AM and often times doesn't get back home until 8 PM. While living on campus, I work 2 jobs to further my own education and reduce my mother's contribution, but she is quite stubborn, and still insists on supporting me. Not left with many options, I decided to come here, to put my story out into the world. If you are able to support in any way, I would really appreciate it. Your contribution would support not only my education, but both my mother and I's peace of mind. Thank you very much, and God bless!