No matter how rough things get, I know that light will always dispel darkness.
I became homeless through a string of unfortunate events. In 2016, I had just been accepted at university and was very excited to start. The August before I left, my cousin was brutally stabbed to death and this became a strain on my mental health. Although I passed my second year, my grief became unbearable and I struggled with my identity. I ended up moving back home to my mother's place but it wasn't easy.
My mother's home was overcrowded and I had an abusive step-father. We were also staying only 10 minutes away from my cousin's place of death so I was constantly reminded of it. When it got too difficult, I began sofa surfing at friends' houses all over London. I worked as a retail assistant so that I could pay for food and travel, but living all over London made it difficult to hold down my job. I ended up losing it and slowly ran out of places to stay. By December last year, I was sleeping in an abandoned car. Thankfully, I was offered a place in a hostel that I currently live in.
My support worker really helped me build my confidence again and see my own self-worth. Knowing that I deserve a better life made me think about what I wanted to do.
I knew I wanted to help people and I've always found oral hygiene very important. After a lot of research, I decided I wanted to be a dental nurse! I'm really looking forward to learning about infection control, the structure of the tooth and medical radiography.
In the future, I plan to have my own home with a garden where I can grow vegetables, fruits and herbs. My life outside of work will be put to good use by volunteering in youth centres, homeless centres or simply passing on knowledge I've acquired along my journey.