After Parents Disown Him For Being Gay, Valedictorian Gets $50K From Online Donors To Attend College

Things took an unexpected turn for 18-year-old Seth Owen following a recent rough patch.

NBC News shares that Owen was disowned by his family when he came out as gay. They completely cut off the teen, including monetarily. And by his family not giving him any financial support, the class valedictorian, who boasted a 4.16 GPA, didn’t think that there was any way that he would still be able to attend the prestigious Georgetown University, even with a financial aid package.

Seth was counting on his family to help pitch in and contribute so that school would be covered between them and then financial aid that he will be receiving. But soon reality set in as the high school student realized that his dreams of going to Georgetown would have to wait.

“I started to cry, because I realized there was no way that I could go to college. Georgetown was my only option, because I had already denied my other acceptances.”

Georgetown refused to amend Owen’s financial aid package as well as the $20,000 that he needed for his first month of tuition. But once his biology teacher, Jane Martin, found out about her former student’s situation, she realized that something needed to be done.

“He was super ambitious and was always trying to go above and beyond to make sure he could be as successful as possible,” the teacher said.

Martin took it upon herself to take matters into her own hand by creating a GoFundMe page for Seth.

Congratulations to Seth Owen! https://t.co/7PCUG34oau

— The Advocate (@TheAdvocateMag) July 28, 2018

“Earlier this year (after a year of attempted conversion therapy), Seth’s parents gave him an ultimatum. He would either continue to attend the church that outwardly attacked him and his sexual orientation or he would need to leave home. For his own well-being and safety, Seth chose the later,” she wrote on the page.

The initial goal of the campaign was $20,000 but as news of Seth’s story continues to spread, the campaign has far surpassed its goal, amassing over $66,000 so far. Owen says that he cannot believe all the love and support that he has received from so many people so far.

“After we had hit $2,000, Seth was just like, ‘I’m so surprised that people, like, actually care about me,'” Martin recalled.

Martin and Owen say that if Georgetown does end up readjusting Owen’s financial aid package, the pair plan to use the GoFundMe “donations to create a scholarship fund for other teens facing a situation similar to Owen’s.”

For now, the self-proclaimed nerd will finally be able to achieve his life goal of attending college.

“I was the nerd in fifth grade who walked around recess talking about how I wanted to be an astronaut. I was always in a textbook, always in the library, always reading something,” Owen says.

Seth will be a freshman this fall.