Kevin -
05/12/2024My name is Kevin, ID name is Zihang Sun. I’m 17 years old, so always a lot of things of me in school need parent agreement. I’m coming to America was in January 2020. Before I came, I was a 7th grader in a middle school in China. It’s about more than four years ago. Since I just got here, I didn’t attended any school, my parent don’t agree I go to school because Covid. So, I miss the chance that for later my whole school life. Until August 2020, my parents know that school has online option, so they said that I should go to school now.
I decided to be a high schooler, but my parents thought that I’m unable to keep pace with it. Me and my mom both didn’t think about 8th grade, so they were let me going to do 7th grade again. I was a 7th grade student in Knox Junior High School. In these two year of middle school life I feel low self-esteem and depression. Because except English, the school work is very easy for me. But I’m behind than other students who’s same age as mine. I don’t have friends, I don’t know who I am. When I see they pay for my study, I feel very ashamed. I always couldn’t sleep well, because I always think about how will my life going to future. What do I do with this? My stepdad that time always no reasoning to hit something to make big noises. That was so scared me. If follow the grade I got now, then I will graduate high school in 2026, that time I already 19. This guy will let me get out of the house when I turn 18 for sure. The guy who doesn’t have a high school degree is very hard to get a job. If going like this then probably this world will get one more homeless.
In August 2022, I had be a student of the College Park High School. I was speechless. But I see some student who’s 10th grade and take the 9th grade classes. So I think I might have a chance to make my life back, I can get to be a normal student again. I ask them twice, I might doing too violently, but I didn’t hit anything or throw anything. I just twice did like want to die, I was agitated, seemingly to hit the teacher. Once they let me go to a mental hospital, and once they put me in a room that for student who need self-examination. I’m sure if they agree that I can get 10th grade, I will not going to do any fight with them, even still take 9th courses that time. But they just won’t agree, and my stepdad is super angry, so I still feel super depressed about my life. My stepdad lose his job at October 2022, my mom just found a job that time, so my family is also very depression. I couldn’t do anything, I make my grades average probably A-. I took one AP, and a half semester of a Honor. My weakness class is English and Biology, because these two classes is too hard for me. If I take honor, I’m sure that I also can make B- in both. They counselor in College Park said that she can put me graduate earlier, but I need to do summer classes. But I knew that summer classes need to pay, a Geometry class is cost more than 400. So I refused it. If I want to graduate in 2025 means that I need to take three classes: Geometry,Chemistry, and World History. First, my stepdad don’t want to pay for that. Second, my mom doesn’t have money, her income just 30000 a year, and she have to pay the rents. This was at before two months of the end of the school year.
If I couldn’t get level as my age, then why I don’t try to get advancer than my ages? I searched the internet, they said GED is available for the people who’s older than 16, and GED is a high school equivalency diploma. I tried some practice question of GED, it’s not hard for me. I told my mom what I really want, I don’t want to waste my life in the place that I feel depressed. She is ok with me, but my stepdad doesn’t agree, he said that only criminal are taking GED. He doesn’t work, and he always buy a lot of things that useless, and also often make me and my mom fear. Before there was a Hispanic person who doesn’t graduate high school, he is 18 that time. I knew that because his mom and my mom both work at the same place. He is spent that every time I saw. I don’t know his work, but I know he is lucky. His mom wouldn’t let him get out of her house, while my mom also won’t, but my stepdad will do when I turn 18.
I already found a way that I need to go with, so now is the time to execute. I start worked at Dairy Queen in April 2023. I just earn 8.25 per hour. I work in Monday through Thursday 4pm-9pm, and Saturday through Sunday 3pm-9pm. I knew it’s not much, I want to work just the time that I’m not in learning, but they said they have enough kid in Friday, and they don’t need a lot of people in lunch time. I’m sure that I’m the best employee in there, but to schedule people need to in order of arrival. Sometimes manager will let others go break first, I can get break later. So now, I can have a justification for I take GED. I really want to say to my stepdad that “I’m earning money but you’re not, so you shouldn’t preventing me to get my life better!” I didn’t quit school until the semester end which is May 24, 2023. And then in summer, I start work in Dairy Queen Monday-Wednesday 12pm-10pm. I found another job in the Village at the Woodlands Waterway, start from June 23. I work there Friday-Sunday 11am-7pm. Sometime Dairy Queen let me work Wednesday and Thursday both 5-9pm, and sometimes the Village let me work in Sunday 6am-7pm. During this period, my feet no day is comfortable. Then I quit Dairy Queen at August 8th. The Village start put me in dishes, it’s very tired for me. My back hurt and my bone is be out of shape. I knew I’m not a full time in the Village, but I can make the money and pay my mom 3000 for debt. I tried to take GED, but they said 16 years old need a court order. I think I’m already very good. Me and my mom went to the court, but they didn’t know how to do. So this was been lay aside. During Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year week, I worked more than 40 hours. Start from 2024, I just work there Saturday and Sunday, because the boss was changed, everything is listen to the chef, this chef was not polite. I still worked more than 24 hour per week. If I’m still in high school I’m sure that I wouldn’t be like this, because if I couldn’t see any future, then I won’t struggle any more.
Until March 31, 2024, I quit that job. I knew that I’m not even 17 yet, they let me do so much work. Other fisher get pay like 15 dollars, I just got 13, and I doing much better than others. I couldn’t put up with this, so I putted two week notice and then quit. I want my records are clean, so unlike other people who’s just quitting, I do two weeks in every job I quit. April 29, I finally get my GED diploma, this is not the end, this is just starting. Because GED diploma doesn’t valuable as high school diploma. So I only can two way now, either join military or go to a community college. Obviously I chose the latter. But my stepdad was very angry about that, since he knows that I’m applying for every financial helps, he get very angry. He told my mom that “He shouldn’t find anything free, he should go work!” I think normally parent will pay their child’s college, and even their child turn 18, they can still live with their parents. Normally parent also can give their child a transportation support. But my stepdad won’t pay anything for my college, he have been unemployment for one and a half years. Also my family didn’t even have a car, I live in South Millbend Dr, I ride my bike for come to our school, it takes more than an hour. For my stepdad think is that I shouldn’t apply Lone Star college, I should go get a full time job. When I have enough money, I buy a car, and once I turn 18, I’m get out of the his house. We don’t even have a house, we just live in a very poorly apartment. So financial problems are the main problem for me right now, I will continue to apply all the scholarship that could be acceptive.
I come to Lone Star is for my future. I believe myself, I believe that I can transfer to a top 100 university in the world when I graduate Lone Star. Lone Star is not even my end too, it’s just my life’s beginning.
