At a public meeting, a commenter described overcoming health and financial setbacks and said an early $300 endowment and later grants for student computers enabled her to attend Calhoun Community College and start the MTM Unsung Hero scholarship.

The commenter said the episode began when she delayed dental work to continue competing in high-school athletics, developed a dry socket and missed graduation. "I ended up developing a dry socket and almost died from it," she said, and later recounted that someone encouraged her to return and complete the requirements she needed to graduate.

She told the meeting that after seeking college enrollment late, an unnamed staff member found a $300 endowment to help her enroll at Calhoun Community College. "She had found $300 and it was an endowment for me to start Calhoun Community College," the commenter said, adding she did not have to pay another dime to finish there.

The experience, she said, inspired the MTM Unsung Hero scholarship, aimed at students who had been in foster care or who had to work while in school. She described additional efforts to secure grant funding to put computers into students' hands and said some families still lack home computers. "Believe it or not, there's still families out there without a computer," she said.

Discussion at the meeting was a personal account and not a request for formal action. No motions or votes were recorded related to the remarks.

The commenter closed by thanking the audience and stressing the role of mentors and small seed funding in changing students' trajectories: "What can you do with $300? Well, I believe in a seed."