Close Ad

Hero of the Week: Teacher Raises $130K to Help Abandoned LGBTQ Teen Head to College
Seth Owen
Everyday Heroes

Hero of the Week: Teacher Raises $130K to Help Abandoned LGBTQ Teen Head to College

The world can be a dark and dangerous place, but selflessness has the power to prevail in the most heartbreaking of circumstances. Whether it’s putting another life before your own, making someone else's dreams come true, or paying forward random acts of kindness, everyday heroes are all around us. Every week, we take the opportunity to celebrate the most extraordinary ordinary people from all over the world who make our little blue dot a better place. Welcome to Hero of the Week.

Going to college was 18-year-old Seth Owen’s lifelong dream. He was always reading, learning, participating in extracurriculars and helping others whenever he could.


seth-owen

“I was the nerd in fifth grade who walked around recess talking about how I wanted to be an astronaut,” Owen told NBC News. His hard work started paying off, as college acceptance letters started coming in, including from prestigious Georgetown University. His teachers could not be prouder.

Back home though, things were far from peaceful or happy. In his sophomore year, his very religious family found out he was gay. “I was writing a paper and my decided to check my phone late in the evening,” the Florida teen told NBC News. That night, his parents questioned him until the early hours of the morning.

In no time whatsoever, his parents sent him to a “Christian counselor” to undergo was amounted to conversion therapy, the medically debunked process of “converting” an LGBTQ individual to heterosexuality. Of course, it didn’t work, but somehow Owen managed to convince his parents to let him discontinue his “treatment.”

A dedicated student despite his struggles at home

All the while, Owen’s grades remained high and his academic participation exemplary. But things were becoming worse at home. He still had to attend his family’s church, were homophobia was rampant, open and aggressive. He didn’t feel welcome. He didn’t feel loved. He didn’t feel safe. And when he asked his parents of could attend a different church, they gave him an ultimatum: he could continue going to their church and remain at home, or he could leave the family home.

Worried for his well-being, he had to leave, and ended up sleeping on friends’ couches. And still his grades were exemplary, and Owen even became co-valedictorian of his class. But Georgetown University would not change its financial aid – even though Owen showed ample proof that he no longer had parental support or aid and yet was about to graduate with a 4.61 GPA.

Teacher of the year

Janemartinteacherandstudents

Jane Martin, a biology teacher who taught Owen during his freshman year and mentored him through college found out about his struggles. And she was not about to let a bright young mind suffer, because his family did not understand him or love him. “Seth was just a kid that really stood out to me. He was super ambitious and was always trying to go above and beyond to make sure he could be as successful as possible.”

Consulting with other teachers and students, she set up a $20,000 GoFundMe campaign, aimed at covering tuition cost for his first year. But Owen’s story touched people and donations started pouring in. Owen, who was about to be forced t take a gap year, couldn’t believe how many people responded with messages of support, encouragement whatever they could spare.

Soon, there were $2,000 pledged. Then the $20,000 goal was reached, and even more people heard about his story, his pain and his drive for learning. Now, Owen is getting ready to move to Washington D.C. within the month to start classes at Georgetown, where, thanks to kind strangers and the support of his former teacher he will be able to cover tuition – at press time, the fundraiser had totaled nearly $130,000 in pledges.

Hot Stories

Why Paul Walker Left His Only Daughter With Vin Diesel

Vin Diesel & Paul Walker were more than just friends, they were …

content.jwplatform.com

When the tragic news of Paul Walker's death surfaced, the world was left in shock. As one of the most beloved stars of the Fast and Furious franchise, his passing was felt deeply by fans around the globe. But perhaps the most devastating impact was felt by his daughter, Meadow Walker, who was left without a father.

Keep ReadingShow less
Life Stories
4 Signs You've Found a Kindred Spirit, Not a Soulmate
friends wearing same outfit

Spirituality exists beyond words — to a dimension where language can only hint at deeper truths. Any words used to attempt to describe or explain it will always be poor translations because words often fall short when describing spiritual experiences. It's like trying to capture the ocean's vastness in a photograph. It might show its surface but there's no replacement for the direct experience of reality.

RELATED: The Psychology and Spirituality Causes Of An Identity Crisis

On Defining Spiritual Connections

Throughout history, people have tried to capture extraordinary experiences and spiritual connections through language. Terms like soulmates, twin flames, and kindred spirits attempt to describe these non-ordinary bonds. Yet these labels are merely signposts that point to something mysterious and won't fully capture it.

Keep ReadingShow less
Relationships
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his parents Randi and Pat
Archive

Make no mistake about it: Patrick Mahomes is the face of the NFL. The Tyler, Texas native is the son of Pat Mahomes, a former Major League Baseball player, and Randi Martin.

He burst onto the scene in 2018 when he made history by throwing 50 touchdown passes and 5,000 yards in a single season — a record he shares with Peyton Manning. He followed up his initial success by leading the Kansas City Chiefs to an incredible victory at Super Bowl LIV. If that wasn’t enough, he carried the team through to yet another Super Bowl the very next year, though they ended up losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mahomes has gone to two more Super Bowls since and he's won back-to-back titles (2023 and 2024).

Keep ReadingShow less
Family