Sam Constantine

I doubt anyone will read all this but... kinda tired about some of the assumptions I've heard floating around. My parents immigrated to America and started with less than nothing. Their homes and parents lost to war. They came with younger siblings who were underage and needed to be supported. Their first jobs were at 7-eleven and as a waitress. Then they had me. Growing up we didn't have money, but my parents worked two jobs and supported the family from nothing. We grew up poor, didn't have money for toys, I grew up eating the free gov't lunches at school, and I never had the luxuries of things like toys or video games or birthday parties. Growing up I never had Legos or video game consoles. But they worked their asses off and saved every penny they had to support their siblings and child. We lived super frugally. Of course I wished I had those things. It gave me the drive to help where I could, to be able to get the things I wanted so I got my first job at 14, teaching myself how to code, how to build websites, and fortunately I always knew I wanted to be in tech because I loved it. I knew we couldn't afford college, so I did my best to do well in school and got myself a scholarship at a in-state school. Starting that career early with the drive to be self sufficient, to be successful, is what made me fortunate enough to have a comfortable lifestyle now. For some reason people it seems some assume I was raised with a silver spoon, or that I inherited my success, but the reality is I came from nothing... my family had no connections, but despite all that, I had a glimpse of the American dream and went all in. I spent years of my life head down, working as much and as hard as I could. I didn't go on vacations, I didn't buy things, but I worked nonstop for 10 years and eventually that paid off for me. It wasn't easy, and to some degree of course there was some luck in my career field and achieving my goals but it wasnt until after I became financially independent and stable that I became a furry. Now I'm trying to catch up on the fun I missed out on while I was heads down working. Ive lived my life cognizant of how fortunate I am to live the lifestyle I do now, which is also why I try to pay it forward as much as I can. I love this fandom because we come from all walks of life, ethnicities and socioeconomic statuses, yet we all share a common interest and we can talk to each other on that shared common level. And so, I'm honestly not trying to flex on anyone or flaunt success, but rather I try to create and share as many positive experiences with the friends I've made as I can, and be generous where I can to those who would not otherwise be able to. Whether it's sharing a meal, hosting a party or just giving hugs and having a chat, I try to pay it forward and be positive because I fully believe you get out of this fandom what you put into it. Collectively we are responsible for creating this fandom's environment, so wouldn't it be nice if we all did our best to accept and encourage each other, uplift each other, celebrate each other and be kind to each other. Let's be happy for each other and support each other where we can.