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by Hope

I mentioned a month or so ago that I loaned Beauty the money to purchase her car, well, part of it. I am pleased to tell you that while we had a couple of bumps along the way, she has paid back the loan in its entirety as of this week.

She is 18 years old. Has had a volatile childhood to say the least. Has not had good financial decisions modeled up to this point. But she has CHOSEN to be responsible, seek good counsel and now owns a pretty decent car outright, in her own name that she paid for 100% by herself.

I could not be more proud of her! I want to shout that from the rooftop.

What’s Next for this Beauty

She has registered for full time college next month at the local community college and right now she will either stay here or live in the dorms. (I love that our local community college has dorms and I’m hoping she takes that step.) Between the Georgia HOPE grant and her need based Pell Grant money, almost 100% of her tuition, supplies and housing will be covered.

She is pursuing an Associates Degree in Cosmetology, a program she started while in high school. We are not sure how long it will take as she still has to take a “placement” test and get her projects/hours documented from her high school program.

I wanted to write this, not just because I am very proud of her, but also as an example, that fostering older kids…well, it really can make a big difference in their lives. Even when it’s just the last year of their high school career.

Hope

Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.

But life has a way of rewriting your plans.

A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.

Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.

Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.

She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.