“As a youth living in Hartford, I have always had to deal with many hardships. Raised by a single mother, our family struggled a lot, and as the oldest sibling, I’ve had to work harder than most people my age just to help my family to get through each day, working part-time jobs after school or on weekends. My mom is really committed to making sure we get an education, so she makes sure I also work hard in school, and I was just accepted to college. It was hard because we moved a lot when we struggled to pay rent, and my siblings and I would sometimes have to stay with relatives or friends. But there were always people in my community going through similar problems or worse. Because of this, I’ve always felt a need to help others, to better my community and to give back. It has always given me joy to help people in need, and in Hartford, there’s no lack of people who could use a helping hand.”