Keegan has big dreams. And we’re not talking about the kind you have when you sleep (though he has those, too). No, we’re talking about goals… aspirations… ambitions.
Our world could use more dreamers like Keegan. Why? Because dreamers like Keegan are unstoppable. The saying goes, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Well, Keegan’s always going. And nothing’s going to stop him.
True Colors Fund: What do you think about when you wake up in the morning?
Keegan: When I wake up I usually think of breakfast right away. Mostly it’s what I want to make special for my fiancée so that she can have a super awesome start to her day. I try to think of something cute and special to make her day a little better. Sometimes I ponder my dreams, too. If they’re good dreams, I just replay them in my head. If they’re not so good, I usually try to figure out what’s wrong and try to fix it so that it doesn’t bother me all day long.
True Colors Fund: Speaking of dreams, what’s your biggest dream?
Keegan: My fiancée and I dream of one day owning a huge house where I can be a child psychologist and we can foster kids and animals with special needs. I would like to train animals to be service and therapy animals so that when my clients come to my in home office, we can go out and work with the animals.
True Colors Fund: What is it like to be you?
Keegan: Well… my life is stressful and complicated, but i wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. Right now, I sleep on a bed made out of blankets on a hard wood floor that I roll into a sleeping bag and put in a closet daily. I barely get any sleep because there’s a 72 year-old woman up all night and a 2 year-old that wakes up at 5 or 6 every morning. I live in a 4 bedroom house with 11 people and I will be starting to pay $200 to do so. I have been homeless for one month shy of 2 years and in those 2 years, I’ve been asked to leave where I stayed at 7 times. I have had everything that I owned (but what I went to school with) donated to thrift stores twice. My mom’s drug-use is what started my homelessness.
True Colors Fund: What is your “tweet-able” message to folks?
Keegan: Life is tough and there have been many times in which I have given up. But let me tell you something… Life is worth it, things get better, and you will find your way back home. Whether home be a person, a place, or a thing, it will always find you when you least expect it to. <- TWEET THIS!
Everyone has a dream. Some have several. What’s your dream? 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.