My United Way helped me set and achieve my goals.I grew up in Linden, and I can remember not having a home and not having food. Without my Big Brother, Andrei, I wouldn’t be here today. I didn’t know what I was capable of doing, and he really inspired me to do better. I’m the first in my family in over a decade to receive a high school diploma and the first to go to college.
When Tiwuan first met his Big Brother, Andrei, through the Big Brother Big Sister program, he was a shy 11-year-old with a big smile. The seventh of eight children, he lived with his siblings and single mom whose numerous health issues kept her from providing her children with the opportunities and experiences she felt would allow them to reach their full potential.
Tiwuan has experienced homelessness and poverty. He’s lived in shelters, moved and changed schools several times. He never had a relationship with his biological father, and he admits that he often felt pulled by the gang culture that surrounded him in his Linden neighborhood.
Despite these substantial challenges, Tiwuan clearly had the ability and capacity to do well in school and achieve success in life. But like many young men, he lacked opportunities and a clear vision for his future. Fortunately, Andrei was by his side through his teen years, helping him see beyond his circumstances and encouraging him to ignore the negative influences surrounding him.
“Knowing what’s out there is half the battle,” Tiwuan explains. “When Andrei helped me see that other side of living, I just wanted to go forward and do better in life. I stopped focusing on the things my friends in Linden were doing and stopped making those bad decisions.”
With Andrei’s consistent support, Tiwuan learned that his environment does not define him. He developed a vision, set goals for himself and became focused on accomplishing those goals. A senior honor student at Linden McKinley STEM High School, he was selected to take classes at Franklin University throughout his senior year. Tiwuan is the first in his family in more than a decade to receive a high school degree, and he plans to become the first college graduate.
Tiwuan’s determination and focus have made him a role model for his siblings and his friends, who call him the “Professor.” He was named a Color Me Excellent award winner by United Way’s Key Club, and he’s enrolled at Wittenberg University. He’s mapped out a plan for his future that includes becoming an accountant, working for a Fortune 500 company and becoming a Big Brother and role model for a boy like himself.
