Jacksonville teenager Seth Owen shares his remarkable story with talk show host Ellen DeGeneres Tuesday, completing a journey that has taken him from virtual homelessness to the embrace of the nation.
When First Coast News first profiled Seth, the Jacksonville co-valedictorian had won admission to Georgetown University, and even a partial scholarship, but was still $20,000 short. His teachers started a GoFundMe page, but with school fast approaching, had raised just a few thousand dollars.
Seth was also essentially homeless. After coming out as gay to his parents, he’d moved out of their house when they insisted he continue to attend the family’s conservative church, Pecan Park Baptist, on Jacksonville’s Northside.
Soon after Seth’s story aired on First Coast News, however, it grabbed national attention. His story was picked up by NBC, The Washington Post, and USA Today, and soon his GoFundMe pledges exceeded $140,000.
Today, Seth is attending Georgetown University, and plans to dedicate some of the money raised to other gay scholars facing difficult circumstances.
He will share his story on the Ellen DeGeneres Show Tuesday at 4 pm on WTLV Channel 12. He is also a guest of the president at the annual Human Rights Campaign Dinner on Saturday.
Watch the original story here.