My environment and the people around me have shaped who I am today. Much of my identity and beliefs are owed to my mother and the daily struggles she has faced. One of the biggest challenges she endures is poverty, which has affected not only her life but also the lives of her four children, including me. Witnessing the hardships brought on by financial instability has given me a deeper understanding and appreciation for my mom. Many of these struggles stemmed from a lack of awareness about available resources and a lack of support from her family. The barriers placed before my mother taught me the importance of asking questions and maintaining a mindset that challenges limitations. Ultimately, her experiences helped me recognize that her challenges were personal and part of broader systemic issues.
These struggles have inspired me to focus on financial accessibility and advocate for policies that provide resources to those who are unaware of their options and those who are less privileged. If the government truly wanted to address these critical issues—particularly in health care and financial awareness—it would ensure that information reaches even the most remote communities and underserved populations.
Like many students and young adults today, my mom only intended to escape her environment. She wanted more out of life but wasn’t sure what that looked like. She enrolled in college to leave home, making decisions that would impact her for the rest of her life. However, without fully understanding the importance of engaging in her education and preparing for life after graduation, she struggled academically and was placed on academic probation. Her college career ended just as quickly as it began.
Back home, she found herself in survival mode, applying for every government assistance program that could provide even the slightest help. Time and again, she was denied assistance due to strict eligibility criteria. At times, this left us without electricity or hot water. Sometimes, it led to homelessness or forced us to move in with estranged family members. The lack of financial resources didn’t just impact her in the moment—it created a cycle of poverty that became harder to break over time. From the inability to access quality education to struggling with medical costs, the system seemed designed to keep her trapped in the very conditions she was trying to escape.
When my parents married, my mom’s benefits were reduced due to my father’s income level. On top of that, she faced daily struggles with Type 1 diabetes. Once she lost her Medicaid/Medicare coverage, she had to rely on my father’s employer-provided insurance, which required them to pay a percentage of the cost for insulin, medical equipment, and other essential expenses.
More times than I can count, my father would be at work while I cared for my younger siblings, only to witness my mom’s blood sugar drop dangerously low, leaving her unconscious. My siblings and I would do what we could to revive her, but there were times when we had to call EMS. Sometimes, the medics were able to stabilize her at home, but if they couldn’t do so quickly enough, they would strap her onto a gurney and rush her to the hospital. Each hospital visit meant another bill for transportation and care. With my father as the sole provider and my mother receiving limited government assistance, these medical bills continued to pile up. Poverty wasn’t just about a lack of money—it affected every aspect of our lives. Health care, government assistance, and daily survival were all interconnected, reinforcing a cycle of poverty that felt impossible to break.
After my parents divorced, my mother’s health declined drastically. Her organs weakened, limiting her mobility. As my siblings and I grew older, my mother’s income decreased, along with the benefits she received. With little support from her own family, she applied for housing assistance, SNAP, WIC, and eventually, SSI. However, receiving these benefits meant she had to meet strict income limitations, restricting her ability to earn additional money without jeopardizing the support she relied on.
My mother was only aware of the resources she was told about. When she realized that life could be more than just survival, she was already caught in the web of financial hardship. Witnessing her struggles has fueled my passion for fighting policies that address the root causes of poverty, such as inadequate health care access, flawed government assistance programs, and the lack of affordable education. These systemic barriers keep countless families trapped in poverty, and dismantling them is at the core of my political mission.