My parents told me to take the bus to my Harvard graduation because they were too busy buying my sister a brand-new Tesla, but when they finally showed up expecting to watch me quietly walk across the stage and go back to celebrating her, the dean took the mic, said my name, and my father dropped his program as the whole crowd learned what I had built while they were busy acting like I was never the child worth showing up for. – Reading Times

We bonded instantly over our shared financial anxieties and became a vital support system for one another. We would take turns cooking affordable and simple meals in the communal kitchen and frequently split the cost of expensive textbooks whenever it was possible.

“How can your parents justify not helping you at all when they clearly have the means?” Maya asked one night while we were highlighting sections of a used textbook. She looked truly bothered as she added, “It seems incredibly cruel given how hard you are pushing yourself every day.”

I simply shrugged my shoulders while attempting to appear completely unbothered by the reality of my situation. “They claim to believe in the importance of self sufficiency and building character through struggle,” I replied quietly.

“That is not a lesson in self sufficiency, Jordan,” Maya said with her voice tinged with genuine indignation. She continued by saying, “That is blatant neglect when they are simultaneously buying your sister designer jewelry and brand new cars back home.”