It’s been a while since I’ve posted. Here’s a quick snapshot of the last five yeasrs.
Both boys decided to go back to “regular” school for high school (Xavier went back into the school system for his last year of middle school). Our Road Trip Learning experiences definitely helped them during the pandemic when schools shut down and went virtual. They weren’t happy about not being able to socialize in person, but were able to navigate online learning easier than some of their classmates. Grateful we all got through that!
Fast-forward to 2023, when Sebastian graduated from Empower Community High School. It was such a proud moment watching the founding class graduate. He did it! I did it! We did it! He wasn’t sure what his next steps would be until he went on an HBCU tour with RISE 5280. He returned knowing he wanted to attend Morehouse or UC Denver. He was waitlisted at Morehouse and eventually chose to enroll at UC Denver to study philosophy. He received scholarships and made a wise choice to live at home instead of paying housing fees.
We were also able to contribute towards his college tuition not only with the 529 savings that his father’s former teammates had started after his father’s passing, but also from a tuition assistance benefit I receive from my job at CU Anschutz Medical Campus (which increased from providing 9 credit hours per year to 12 in 2024!). Additionally, Sebastian concurrently enrolled at the Community College of Aurora during high school and will most likely finish at UC Denver in three years!
Xavier also started high school at Empower. Unfortunately, they underwent a tumultuous transition and closed at the end of his sophomore year in 2023. He had also reunited with his preschool and elementary BFFs, who had also been homeschooled for most of their middle school years. Fortunately, their mother had found a great high school for them attend together for the remainder of their schooling – Forge Christian High School. Xavier has thrived at Forge, playing football, basketball, volleyball, and track and field (shot put and discus). He injured his knee at the beginning of football season that prevented him from continuing sports, but that didn’t stop him from showing up and supporting his teams.
He’s now preparing to attend college at Grand Canyon University in August 2025 to explore his passion for photography and filmmaking. While GCU’s tuition costs are fairly reasonable for out-of-state residents, they’re still quite expensive. We’re raising money to help offset Xavier’s on-campus housing costs. Please consider donating or sharing: https://gofund.me/e80135e1
What a journey! I was so scared to be a “single mom” after their father passed away. Yet, here we are, thriving, figuring things out, and striving to fulfill our purposes while keeping Anthony’s wishes of giving them an education alive. I did it. They did it. We did it!