Throughout her childhood, Nevaeh Scales’ family struggled financially and eventually ended up homeless in St. Louis, Missouri. Knowing the only way to improve her situation was by getting into college, Nevaeh spent her high school years hunkering down and studying hard – despite everything she was going through in her personal life.
All of her hard work paid off in a big way! She graduated with a 4.3 GPA and a scholarship to Maryville University, where she is pursuing a degree in cybersecurity. But while her future was looking bright, she wasn’t sure how to get even the essentials she needed to move into her dorm. Luckily, she had a guardian angel in her corner!
Brooke James, Nevaeh’s high school English teacher and advisor, was aware of her difficult circumstances. A few months after Nevaeh’s first college semester began, the two of them met for lunch to catch up. That’s when Brooke realized how little Nevaeh was able to bring with her to school.
Despite the cold, all she had was a pair of sandals, a few pairs of leggings, some T-shirts, and a blanket. Even so, Nevaeh didn’t complain or ask anything of Brooke.
Instead, Brooke took it upon herself to set up a GoFundMe with a goal of raising $5,000 for Nevaeh. The compassionate teacher asked the community “to assist her with clothes, personal items, and especially a good cyber working computer and/or other equipment that will assist her in becoming the best at cybersecurity.”
Before long, the campaign had raised over $9,000! Even better, Brooke didn’t have to put any of those funds toward a computer for Nevaeh. Once Mark Lombardi, the president of Maryville University, caught wind of her story, he rallied her professors and purchased a computer for her!
As a result, the bulk of the donations went directly to Nevaeh to help her get new clothes and all the other items she needs to get through school.
“You don’t know what people are capable of until you see what they’re capable of,” she said later. “You have to give people that chance to change your mind.”
Thanks to her community’s support, Nevaeh went into her spring semester with nothing to worry about except studying hard, which is something she has always been good at! Plus, she knows how much love she has surrounding her!
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