My name is Caroline Jepngetich. I am 23 years old. I am the youngest of four siblings. Our parents raised my two stepsisters, my sister, and me until my mother died of heart disease when I was 8 years old. After she died, my step sisters were taken by their father's family. My father went deep into drinking and neglected us, as a result, my sister and my great-grandmother took me. I often missed school because I lacked school fees. It was a tough life to live, but through all the difficulties, my high school principal always encouraged me to keep going and gave me a listening ear. She became a friend and I looked up to her in many ways. Since I cleared high school in 2019, I have been taking care of my now 89-year-old great-grandmother and keeping hope alive that one day I would be a teacher. This is so that I can encourage and help young people in my community, just as I was. With each passing year, I have become more and more aware that my great-grandmother, who is my greatest support, was getting older and older. I am so grateful that New Routes came along and now I have the incredible opportunity to attend university to pursue the course of my dreams! I would like to give back to my community by teaching, encouraging, and motivating young people who are in the situation that I once was. I hope to learn and grow to be the best that I can be.