Carolina had a rough childhood. When she was young, she transitioned between vastly different countries, cultures, and families. She grew up facing constant uncertainty over what many people take for granted: having a home to call her own, being able to attend school, and living near family members.
“I am an immigrant from Venezuela,” Carolina said. “I came to the U.S. when I was 11. I haven’t lived with my parents since. I’ve been with other families and living by myself. I started working as a nanny part-time and rented rooms from people I really didn’t know.”
Carolina tried to make the best of her situation, always working hard to succeed. But, like many others, she struggled to find a stable job. She was burdened by constant worry that she would never have a chance to change her life.
“I tried to enroll in schools, but financially it was impossible,” she recounted. From a young age, Carolina wanted to attend law school. She had a goal to help other immigrants transition to their new home, but without money to attend a university, this dream seemed unattainable.
Caught in a seemingly endless cycle of low wages and closed opportunities, Carolina gave up hope of improving her situation and abandoned her dream of earning a degree. Adding to this stress were her long hours as a full-time nanny, making her feel lonely, overworked, and forgotten.
“I thought I was never going to be able to get out of it. When you feel you are alone, and you think Heavenly Father has forgotten you, you just hit rock bottom,” shared Carolina. “Not moving forward with anything in my life was extremely frustrating. Everything that could have gone wrong happened. It was hard! I was emotionally exhausted and spiritually starving.”
Carolina did her best to press onward, but the full weight of her hopeless situation eventually got the best of her. Paralyzed by pain, financial burdens, loneliness, and the prospect of never attending university, Carolina decided she couldn’t go on.
“There was one day I got on my knees and told God, ‘I can’t do this anymore. Please stop. Help me, because I can’t do it. I cannot physically do this anymore."