It’s been a privilege to spend the last few days with an amazing young woman but introducing her and all of her titles can be a challenge. Mary is a single mom, a homeless college student, an aspiring filmmaker, a felon, a hip-hop artist, and an entrepreneur. Most of all, Mary is a fighter with a positive attitude making a future for her and her son.
Mary grew up in the system. From age 11 to 17 she lived in foster care and grew up in group homes. At 17, she was dropped off at Penn State with all of her belongings in a garbage bag.
Mary then found herself in a little trouble dealing drugs. She ended up pregnant and relocated back to Philadelphia.
The day she turned 9 months pregnant she was arrested on a bench warrant and thrown into jail. 3 days later, Mary gave birth to her son while still handcuffed.
Mark went back to college and graduated with a degree of art and design. She was accepted into several prestigious 4-year universities, but even with some financial support, there was not enough money to make it work.
During this time Mary’s living situation in a rundown apartment kept getting worse. Water leaked from the ceiling and there was mold everywhere. She had to leave but didn’t have the funds for another apartment and is couch surfing with her son.
Mary is still in college working on her future and has a GoFundMe page set up to raise support to help with a place to stay and tuition. I can verify Mary’s story is real and she is amazing. I also donated myself.
If you’d like to hear more of her music click here
