Jacob’s life isn’t the “cookie cutter” life one might expect. But that doesn’t get him down. To Jacob, experiencing challenges and hardship doesn’t mean having to give up.
Actually, to him, it means quite quite the opposite.
True Colors Fund: What do you think about when you wake up in the morning?
Jacob: Probably when I’m going to eat. Usually it’s dry cereal out of the box. It’s not a homeless thing. It’s a lazy thing.
True Colors Fund: What’s your biggest dream?
Jacob: I guess to go to law school. Policy-making. I guess social policy. I’d like to influence lesbian, gay, transgender, and queer policy and social-justice.
True Colors Fund: What is it like to be you?
Jacob: Umm… that is a good question. Definitely not the typical suburban outcome, I guess. I guess I kind of feel like an outlier. I feel like assigned male, white, born in the suburbs of Ohio should have been pretty cookie cutter. Then add homeless, a survivor of sexual assault… I was able to overcome all of that. Here I am going to school, living independently. I’m definitely not where most of my high school classmates are. Being a survivor and overcoming those traumas have shaped me to be stronger and more determined – and kind of gave me direction.
True Colors Fund: What is your “tweet-able” message to folks?
Jacob: Trauma is survivable and you can be a stronger person because of it. It can create an opportunity to grow and be a stronger person. <- TWEET THIS!
What gives you direction? Is it a person, a thing, a memory? Tell us on Facebook and Twitter!
The 40 of the Forty list gives lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth who have experiences with homelessness and/or housing instability a chance to speak for themselves. The young people on the list were nominated by homeless youth service providers, social workers, educators, individuals, and other folks across the country. Over the course of forty weeks, we’ll be releasing full length interviews with each young person featured on our list.