Jacksonville, Fla. student Seth Owen had a 4.16 GPA and all the promise of the future. He just had no money to make it a reality. That’s when the town chipped in to help fund his college education.
Donors raised over $120,000 to further the teen’s career after discovering his parents were anti-LGBTQ and would not support their gay son.
The 18-year-old had been accepted to Georgetown University as part of its Class of 2022. Unfortunately for Owen, however, his financial aid package was incorrect. He no longer had financial backing.
Owen told NBC News that he had moved out of his parent’s home in February after multiple arguments pertaining to his sexuality. He had endured over a year of attempted “conversion therapy” with their prodding.
He told NBC News, “I started to cry, because I realized there was no way that I could go to college. Georgetown was my only option, because I had already denied my other acceptances.”
He realized he needed $20,000 to get through the first year of school – and then his biology teacher stepped in.
“Seth was just a kid that really stood out to me,” the teacher, Jane Martin, told NBC News. “He was super ambitious and was always trying to go above and beyond to make sure he could be as successful as possible.”
Martin set up a GoFundMe page in support of her persevering pupil.
“I taught Seth biology and mentored him throughout his high school years,” Martin wrote on the page. “He was the ring bearer in my wedding. Last month, I watched him walk across the stage in a Jacksonville arena weighted down by more cords and medals to count. I’m writing this community for help.”
The community delivered.
“Earlier this year (after a year of attempted conversion therapy), Seth’s parents gave him an ultimatum. He would either continue to attend the church that outwardly attacked him and his sexual orientation or he would need to leave home,” she wrote. “For his own well-being and safety, Seth chose the later.”
He lived with friends and worked to carry his financial weight – almost full-time while finishing high school at the top of his class as the co-valedictorian.
“According to the HRC’s Youth Report, 42% of LGBT youth say the community in which they live in is not accepting of LGBT people. In the high school Seth attended, he had a gay-straight alliance, mentors, and friends who accepted him as an out and proud gay male student. This is unfortunately not always the case in schools around our country,” Martin wrote, with the assistance of Owen.
With her goal met, Martin has a new one for supporters: keep giving to your communities.
“While it seems appropriate to shower Seth’s supporters with gratitude (and we are eternally thankful for your support), I instead want to implore you to continue your allyship offline in your own communities,” she wrote. “There are voices and stories who deserve to be amplified, uplifted, and supported just as much as Seth’s story. There are organizations working to provide resources, safe spaces, and support to LGBTQ students who need funding and volunteers. Find those voices and organizations. Invest in them and help make our nation a little brighter and inclusive for all.”