When I was 11 years old, I started my first job passing out flyers. I made only $30 a day and had to ride my bike everywhere.

I didn’t have a car or even a steady home. Some days, I went from one Meals on Wheels stop to another just to eat.

It wasn’t easy growing up that way. I had to figure out how to survive on my own, even when life felt unfair.

There were days I was tired, hungry, and unsure what would happen next. But deep down, I knew one thi...