Title: HN has always been one of the first things I&#x27;ve checked when I woke up. I know there is an amazing amount of experience and intellect here.
4 years ago, I applied to Stanford as a direct result of reading (here) about getting out of our comfort zones. I was living in a Bureau of Indian Affairs dormitory for high school students when I got the news that I was accepted. This was a huge deal, because statistically I am part of a demographic the comprises the bottom 1% of the income spectrum here in America.
But I left Stanford after a year, partly because it was such a huge change, but also because I wanted see if I could succeed on reservation I grew up in (the Navajo Nation). I&#x27;m now 22, and I can say I used what little I had to try to make a difference.
I&#x27;ve made mistakes - one of which was lying to my peers about leaving because I wasn&#x27;t prepared for the change that Stanford demanded. Another was not asking for help when I needed to. And, finally, I didn&#x27;t pursue a regular job when my family demanded it. And now, I don&#x27;t know what to do.
I have about $20K in debt - student loans that have already been deferred, money I used to buy a computer (pretty much the only thing I own), and medical bills from a year of battling cancer. And, as of today, I had to get out of my step-parent&#x27;s house because it was not a good place for me to be anymore.
I am at a park in the next town over - a town that tends to be particularly disdainful of Native Americans wandering the streets. I don&#x27;t know what I am looking for here on HN. It&#x27;s always been a source of encouragement to me, especially in those times that I felt the most uncomfortable or hopeless. I&#x27;ve learned a lot for living on a reservation where the nearest IT-related job is 100 miles away - and it really is thanks to you.
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