The smell of warm cheese fills my days. Every day, it's the same: the simple, comforting scent of our cheese bars baking in the small oven of our family bakery here in Tuba. My name is AJ Grace, and at 24, my hands know the rhythm of this work like they know the beat of my own heart. I help my parents every day, shaping the dough, watching them turn golden brown. It's honest work, and I love my parents dearly. But inside me, there's a quiet hum, a longing for something more. I have big dreams, dreams that stretch far beyond the four walls of our little bakery and the familiar aroma of cheese. I don't want to be stuck here, just repeating the same motions day after day. I want to grow, to learn, to discover who I can truly become. I dream of going back to school. I see a future where I'm not just known for helping with cheese bars. I want to learn a skill, something that will challenge me and allow me to express myself in new ways. Maybe graphic design, maybe something else entirely – I'm open to possibilities. I crave that personal growth, that feeling of expanding my horizons. But there's a heavy weight on my heart. Schools, especially those equipped to support someone who is deaf and mute like me, are so expensive. The small income from our cheese bar bakery is just enough to keep us going. There's nothing left over for something like tuition, specialized learning materials, or even just the cost of living somewhere closer to a suitable school. It feels like a huge barrier, this silence and the cost. Sometimes, I feel trapped, like my dreams are locked away behind a soundproof glass. But the yearning doesn't go away. It whispers in the quiet moments as I arrange the baked cheese bars on the cooling rack, it flickers in my mind as I watch other young people pass by, carrying books and heading towards their own futures. So, this is my story. I work hard, I have big dreams, and I face a real challenge in pursuing them because of the cost of education for someone who is deaf and mute. I'm reaching out, hoping that maybe, just maybe, there are people who understand my desire to grow and who might be willing to help me unlock that door to my future.