Teenager kicked out by parents over sexuality gets full scholarship to dream college
Seth Owen originally thought his dreams of attending Georgetown University were over after he was kicked out of his parents' house.
A teenager who graduated top of his high school class despite being left homeless after his parents discovered he’s gay will now be going to his dream college for free.
Last month, 18-year-old Seth Owen revealed how he had been kicked out of his religious parents’ house when they discovered he was gay after seeing a picture on his phone and demanding he attend a church that has anti-LGBT views.
Though he excelled in high school, Owen thought his dreams of attending Georgetown University were over. The college had offered a financial aid package for him based on what his family were expected to contribute. Since they had kicked him out, however, Owen needed to pay $20,000 for his first year’s tuition.
Owen’s former teacher and mentor Jane Martin decided to help the Florida student by setting up a GoFundMe page. Her original goal was to raise $20,000 but after his story went viral, the page raised over $130,000.
It didn’t stop there, however, as Georgetown University then decided to offer Owen a full scholarship, meaning he wouldn’t have to pay anything.
In a statement to NBC, Owen said: “While the campaign has been ongoing, the professionals at the Office of Student Financial Services have continued to work with me to make my dream a reality.
“Due to their efforts and attention, they were able to adjust my aid package even further, my expected contribution is now $0. With these new adjustments, I will be able to attend Georgetown University this fall.”
Owen thanked his supports and revealed he plans on using the GoFundMe page money to cover his personal expenses at the college and to create scholarships for future students.
He said: “At the moment, I am in process of exploring the establishment of a scholarship to help LGBTQ+ scholars who find themselves in the circumstance I was in earlier this year. I am looking forward to utilising the resources of Georgetown to help with this effort.”