Help a Quiverfull Daughter Win a College Scholarship!

When I first started reading the blogs of others who grew up in quiverfull homeschool homes, Kierstyn King’s blog is one of the first I came upon. Through blogging, Kierstyn and I have become good friends over the past several years. Kierstyn has recently begun the journey toward attending college, starting with adult basic education (read their story here!). Now they have their sights set on college-level courses, and have a path to get there—with your help!

Vote for Kierstyn to help them win a scholarship!

Voting is easy, and you can do it daily. Kierstyn grew up as the oldest of ten children in a fundamentalist homeschool home, and their maths and sciences education was virtually nonexistent. They was taught that their role in life was to be a wife and mother, and a wife and mother only. But a lot has changed in the past few years as Kierstyn has grown through involvement in a community of others with similar experiences and histories. Here is the essay Kierstyn wrote for the scholarship competition:

A Community of Survivors

The people who inspire me faced the same kind of adversity that I have. Daughters of the homeschool and quiverfull movements are never allowed to dream beyond being a homemaker. They are taught that personal autonomy and higher education are wrong for them. Watching my fellow peers go forward and navigate the waters of adulthood on their own with little to no familial support is both heartbreaking and awe-inspiring. Observing and supporting my siblings in this strange sorority of common experience gave me an opportunity to watch as they took their first steps towards becoming independent adults. I watched them go on to find jobs and apply to school while facing problems similar to my own: parents withholding documentation, trying to pay for college without the ability to apply for financial aid, learning how to write a resume, and how to be self-sufficient. I’ve cheered as my friends overcame the sabotage their families of origin thrust upon them and emerged stronger than they were before. They took their lives into their hands and made the most of it. This group of humans has motivated me to follow my passion – to do the things I was told I could never do. They accomplished this not only by doing it themselves and showing me and the world that it is possible, but by encouraging me specifically: offering advice, and letting me know that like them, I have a community of support behind me. They’ve proven that there’s no reason I couldn’t achieve my goals of making the world a better place through art, technology, and activism.

I’ve seen a lot of people say they wish they could find ways to help those who grew up in quiverfull homes. Well, here’s a way! By voting for Kierstyn—and sharing this post and Kierstyn’s essay with others—you can help them realize their dream of attending college.

Please vote for Kierstyn to help them win this needed scholarship!