During my sophomore year of college, when I was 20 years old, my mother, Regina, was diagnosed with cancer and died three months later. I was very close to her, so her death was extremely painful. It was particularly hard because my father had died three years earlier.

My parents had worked very hard for my brother and me to attend college and “make something of ourselves.” Having lost them both, I felt alone but determined to finish school and see my dreams realized.

My mother’s death came in July, and I was scheduled to return to classes in September. I was concerned that I wasn’t prepared emotionally or financially to go back.