/ Updated By Alexander Kacala 
 
 Seth Owen, 18, said attending college has always been his “life goal,” one he has been working on diligently since elementary school. 
 
 “I was the nerd in fifth grade who walked around recess talking about how I wanted to be an astronaut,” Owen told NBC News. “I was always in a textbook, always in the library, always reading something.” 
 
 Seth Owen, left, and his swimming coach, Kaylee Petik, on graduation day Courtesy Seth Owen 
 
 With a 4.61 GPA and an acceptance letter from Georgetown University, it seemed like the high school valedictorian’s dream would become a reality. But when he received his financial aid package from the prestigious school, a different reality set in: The financial aid package had been determined based on the expected contribution of his family, a family he said drove him out of his home due to his sexuality. 
 
 “I started to cry, because I realized there was no way that I could go to college,” he said. “Georgetown was my only option, because I had already denied my other acceptances.” 
 
 With Georgetown refusing to amend his financial aid package and $20,000 needed for his first year’s tuition, the Florida teen thought his situation was hopeless. But then his former biology teacher stepped in. 
 
 “Seth was just a kid that really stood out to me,” the teacher, Jane Martin, told NBC News. “He was super ambitious and was always trying to go above and beyond to make sure he could be as successful as possible.” 
 
 Martin set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for Owen’s tuition, hoping to “make the impossible possible,” and she succeeded. As of Tuesday afternoon, the fundraising page raised over $50,000 — more than double its initial $20,000 goal. 
 
 “AWKWARD CONVERSION THERAPY” 
 
 Trouble at home began for Owen during his sophomore year of high school, when his Southern Baptist parents discovered he was gay. 
 
 “I was writing a paper, and my dad decided to check my phone late in the evening,” Owen recalled. “He found a damning photograph of me and another guy. Nothing inappropriate, but it clearly indicated that I was gay.” 
 
 Owen said his dad informed his mother of the discovery, and the two questioned him about his sexuality until 4:30 a.m. 
 
 “Soon after, they sent me to a Christian counselor,” he said. “It was clear that their intent was for me to walk out of therapy straight.” 
 
 “It was not like a conversion camp, but it was definitely awkward conversion therapy where they tried encouraging stereotypical masculine tasks and things like that,” Owen added. He said he participated in the Christian therapy program for a “few months” before eventually convincing his parents to let him stop. 
 
 Conversion therapy, also known as "reparative therapy" or "ex-gay therapy," aims to change one’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Despite widespread opposition from health associations, like the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, approximately 700,000 LGBTQ Americans between the ages of 18 and 59 have been subjected to this practice at some point in their lives, according to a 2018 report from UCLA’s Williams Institute. The report also estimates tens of thousands of LGBTQ youth currently between the ages of 13 and 17 will undergo “gay conversion therapy" before they turn 18. 
 
 Seth Owen, left, was on the swim team at First Coast High School in Jacksonville, Florida. Courtesy Seth Owen 
 
 On February 11, two-thirds of the way through his senior year, Owen said he left his parents’ home for his own well-being. 
 
 “I started bringing up my disagreements with the church that they attend. I mean, there was just incident after incident,” Owen said. “They talked very negatively about the LGBTQ+ community. They said that gay people would not serve in the church. Then they were talking about transgender people as though they weren't human, and that really, really bothered me.” 
 
 Owens said he tried to convince his parents to let him attend a different church, but they refused. They then gave him an ultimatum: attend their church or move out. 
 
 “The worst part was I was packing my bags, and I was walking out the door, and I was hoping that my mom would stand in my way. I was hoping that she would say ‘I love my child more than I love my religion.’” 
 
 Just a few weeks after leaving his parents’ home — when he was sleeping on friends’ couches and thought things couldn’t get any worse — Owen received his financial aid package and tuition total from Georgetown. 
 
 “I was just devastated once again,” he said of realizing his college dream was in jeopardy. 
 
 “YOU ARE NOT ALONE” 
 
 When Jane Martin, who taught Owen freshman biology and served as his mentor throughout high school, found out about his situation, she met with other teachers and students to figure out a way they could help him. 
 
 “We know that he's not the type of person to always say, ‘I need help.’ He tries to be very solution-oriented and deal with things on his own,” Martin said about Owen. “We just got to the point where we came together and said, ‘This is something where we need to take the lead, and make sure that he gets what he needs” 
 
 Seth Owen Courtesy Seth Owen 
 
 Martin set up a fundraising page for Owen’s tuition on GoFundMe, with a goal of raising $20,000. 
 
 “I know the goal seems unrealistic and the circumstances aren’t ideal, but I also know communities can make the impossible possible,” Martin wrote in her GoFundMe plea. 
 
 Six weeks and more than 750 donations later, the fundraising page surpassed $50,000. 
 
 “After we had hit $2,000, Seth was just like, ‘I'm so surprised that people, like, actually care about me,’” Martin recalled. 
 
 “He has had so much support and so many people reach out and say ‘You're not alone,’ and ‘It gets better,’ all of the things that we all need to hear when we're queer teenagers and are suffering,” Martin, who is also gay, added. “I'm just excited for him to have this community literally come around and put all of our arms together and bring him up and raise him up for the first time.” 
 
 If Georgetown does end up readjusting Owen’s financial aid package, which Owen and Martin are still hoping for, they plan on using the donations to create a scholarship fund for other teens facing a situation similar to Owen’s. 
 
 A spokesperson from Georgetown told NBC News the university “admits and enrolls students without regard to their financial circumstances and is committed to meeting the demonstrated financial need of eligible students.” 
 
 "While we cannot comment on any individual case, we work closely with students whose financial circumstances change after admission to modify financial aid assistance and ensure they can still enroll regardless of their ability to pay,” the spokesperson added. 
 
 CLASS OF 2022 
 
 Owen said he hopes his story inspires others to talk more openly and honestly about the adversity they’re facing. 
 
 “I remember growing up and saying I had really strict religious parents, and people would brush it off,” Owen explained. “If someone were to say that to me today, I would sit down, and I would ask them, ‘What's going on? What's going on at home? What's happening? What kind of messages are being preached in your church?’” 
 
 When asked what he would say to his sophomore self or other teens facing similar issues at home, he said, “I would tell that sophomore kid to hold their head high, roll their shoulders back and be exactly who they are.” 
 
 “It’s difficult to be who you genuinely are when you have all this pressure around you from all these different people in your life,” he added, “but if you become comfortable with who you are, you're that much more equipped to face these difficult times.” 
 
 Owen plans to move to Washington, D.C., next month to join Georgetown University's Class of 2022. 
 
 Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated Owen's GPA was 4.16: It was 4.61. 
 
 FOLLOW NBC OUT ON TWITTER, FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM ||||| Seth Owen endured "conversion therapy" and homelessness to rise to the top of the class. Now he needs some help with his college tuition. 
 
 After a year of "conversion therapy" that attempted to turn him straight, Seth Owen was told by his parents he could either continue the counseling or move out of their home. After choosing the latter, Owen walked across his high school stage in Jacksonville, Fla., as co-valedictorian, and he is currently trying to raise funds through a GoFundMe page to attend Georgetown University. 
 
 The 18-year-old’s devoutly religious parents discovered he was gay after finding a picture on his phone. Their response was to force him to attend their church, which held anti-LGBT views, while he attended counseling intended to alter his sexual orientation. 
 
 “They made it clear the intention was to make me straight,” Owen told Jacksonville TV station WCWJ. “[That]was their end goal.” 
 
 Despite being technically homeless and crashing with friends, Owen maintained at 4.16 GPA and “[walked] across the stage in a Jacksonville arena weighed down by more cords and medals to count," according to biology teacher Jane Martin, reports Towleroad. 
 
 Martin was the same teacher who started the GoFundMe campaign, and reiterates that she had a close relationship with the valedictorian. According to her message on the campaign’s page, he was ringbearer at her wedding. 
 
 Tuition at Georgetown is $77,000, and the original financial aid package Owen received was based on the premise that he would be financially supported by his parents, which means that the package wouldn’t have been generous enough for Owen to attend in the fall. 
 
 After appealing to the university with letters from mental health professionals, school personnel, mentors, and community organizers, Georgetown refused to amend his financial aid package, which left Owen with a $22,000 tuition bill for his first year. 
 
 “Georgetown University admits and enrolls students without regard to their financial circumstances and is committed to meeting the demonstrated financial need of eligible students through a combination of aid programs that include grants, scholarships, employment and loans from federal, state, private, and University resources," a spokesperson from Georgetown told The Advocate. "While we cannot comment on any individual case, we work closely with students whose financial circumstances change after admission to modify financial aid assistance and ensure they can still enroll regardless of their ability to pay.” 
 
 However, the GoFundMe page has already accumulated over $30,000, which means that Owen will be be covered for his first year. 
 
 Owen plans on paying off his debt one day by becoming a defense attorney for teens, according to WCWJ. ||||| JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Thousands of teens will leave the familiar life of high school and family next month to head off to college. But 18-year-old Seth Owen separated from his family months ago has been living on his own because he is gay and his religious beliefs didn't agree with his parents. 
 
 Owen said he too is college bound, and he's determined to become successful with or without anyone's acceptance of his lifestyle. Owen is optimistic about the future and ready for new experiences. 
 
 He said he has survived with the help of friends, his reality is far too common for LGBTQ teens. 
 
 His lesson in adversity began in his sophomore year of high school. 
 
 "I was writing a paper one night and my dad decided to check my phone," Owen said. "He was searching for quite a few hours and found a photo that clearly showed that I was gay and questioned me for quite a few hours that night." 
 
 Days later, Owen said his parents sent him to counseling. 
 
 "They made it clear the intention was to make me straight. (That) was their end goal." 
 
 That end goal failed and Owen lived in his truth, that he is gay. 
 
 Seth continued to live with his parents for a couple years, staying busy will three jobs, after school programs, dual enrollment classes and swimming. 
 
 "I guess you could say it was easier to try to avoid home. I felt like I was doing something good with the struggle instead of doing something damaging," Owen said. 
 
 But Owen and his parents would reach a breaking point. 
 
 The pastor at his parents' church had strong opinions about women's place in society and the LGBTQ community -- opinions that Owen couldn't abide. He asked his parents to send him to a different church, but they said no. 
 
 "Either go to church or you can move out," Owen quoted his parents telling him. "I called a mentor. I said, I can't do this. I went back in and asked, "Is there any way that we can compromise,' and my dad said no." 
 
 He moved out in February of this year -- two-thirds of the way through his senior year. 
 
 "I was really, really upset," Owen said. "It was extremely hurtful to know that I was walking out that door not knowing what lay ahead and feeling I don't know how to explain it it was devastating, absolutely devastating." 
 
 Owen was homeless, sleeping on friends' couches and find support through his mentors. 
 
 Despite the challenges, Owen maintained a 4.16 GPA and became co-valedictorian of his First Coast High School's class of 2018. 
 
 Seth story is not unique, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Bullying and assault are common for LGBTQ teens who come out. One study published on the CDC website shows 30 percent of LGBTQ teens consider suicide, compared to 6 percent for heterosexual teens. 
 
 Owen, by contrast, is looking forward to the future. He was accepted to Georgetown University, but that is its own challenge. 
 
 Tuition is $77,000 annually. Owen was awarded about $50,000 in scholarships, but has no one to help make up the difference or sign a student loan. 
 
 One of Owen's former teachers created a GoFundMe account. Within five weeks, more than 300 people donated and the total has surpassed $25,000. 
 
 "I don't think thank you is good enough," Owen said. "Of course I am extremely grateful, but I think thank you doesn't say it. Now it's time to pay it forward." 
 
 He has already decided he will pay it forward by becoming a defense attorney for teen criminals. Owen says they too have been neglected and need more help. Owen leaves for Georgetown Aug. 22. 
 
 Copyright 2018 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved. ||||| (CNN) Micheal Brown stared at the acceptance letter in front of him: It said yes. 
 
 So did the next one. And the one after that. 
 
 The 17-year-old from Houston applied to 20 of the best universities in the US. He was admitted to every single one with a full ride and $260,000 in additional scholarship offers. 
 
 "It's something I'm proud of because I see my hard work paying off, determination paying off, sacrifices paying off," the student told CNN. 
 
 Of those 20, he listed his top eight choices as: Harvard, Princeton, Northwestern, Yale, University of Pennsylvania, Stanford, Georgetown and Vanderbilt. 
 
 Currently a senior at Mirabeau B. Lamar High School, Micheal has been heavily involved in his school's debate team, mock trial and student government for years. He has also volunteered for political campaigns, citing his interest to "the moment I saw Barack Obama get elected." 
 
 He is set on majoring in political science, but is also considering a second degree in economics. 
 
 The first letter 
 
 When he received his first acceptance in December, he chose to do it at a friend's house to relieve the pressure of being around his whole family. 
 
 "My family had high expectations and maybe didn't realize how competitive the process is," he said. 
 
 But he still invited his biggest supporter to come along -- his mom. 
 
 Berthinia Rutledge-Brown filmed as Micheal stood in shock by the computer while his friends excitedly rallied around him. 
 
 Stanford, of course, said yes. 
 
 "After sixth grade, Mike was in control of his education," recalled the proud mom. "He was focused, he knew what he wanted and he made his own decisions." 
 
 A mother's dedication 
 
 Rutledge-Brown lost three babies before becoming pregnant with Micheal. Once she finally had a son, she poured all of her energy into giving him the very best that she possibly could. 
 
 He only received one B during his entire academic career, which she said was very difficult for the goal-getter. 
 
 On March 28, Micheal opened the last four admissions decisions that would mark his 20-school streak. 
 
 His mom, who works two jobs as a licensed chemical dependency counselor, took the afternoon off to be with him. 
 
 They are both still in shock about the college and scholarship offers. 
 
 Urging others to dream big 
 
 But he didn't want to talk about his own accomplishments alone. 
 
 "For me, it's important to highlight that I'm not the only student of color who is achieving," the teenager noted. 
 
 Micheal, far right, stands with friends Eric Muthondu and Sammantha Garcia during the Subiendo Academy at University of Texas Austin. All three are first-generation college students that have been accepted to Harvard. 
 
 He has met countless friends through organizations like QuestBridge Emerge Fellowship and Breakthrough Collaborative , which match students from low-income communities with higher education opportunities. 
 
 In fact, Micheal has at least one friend at every single Ivy League school thanks to these initiatives. He stressed the importance of using his platform to show other kids that they can dream big, too. 
 
 "I want people to be informed and get access to these same programs," he said. 
 
 The high achiever will spend the next 30 days touring additional schools before he makes his final choice on May 1. 
 
 And he's not taking a break until the fall. 
 
 This summer, he'll spend two weeks traveling around cities that have historically fought for racial justice as part of Rustic Pathways' "Race in America" program. 
 
 CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article misspelled Micheal Brown's first name. ||||| Twin Peaks charter principal also accused of outing 18-year-old to his parents 
 
 Second shot at a speech Out Boulder is providing an opportunity for Twin Peaks Charter Academy High School valedictorian Evan Young, of Longmont, to present his speech between 4 and 8 p.m. Sunday at a private home. The advocacy group will also be giving two annual awards including the Clela Rorex Allies in Action Award to Boulder County Clerk Hillary Hall. Those wanting to attend should email Out Boulder Executive Director Mardi Moore at mmoore@outboulder.org. The event is a fundraiser carrying a $25 entrance fee. Food and drink will be provided. 
 
 A St. Vrain Valley charter school's leadership is under fire from gay rights activists and others for blocking a class valedictorian from giving a graduation speech in which he planned to out himself as gay. 
 
 Evan Young, an 18-year-old graduating senior at Longmont's Twin Peaks Charter Academy High School, with a 4.5 GPA and a scholarship awaiting him at Rutgers University, also was not recognized as valedictorian at his school's May 16 graduation. 
 
 Young said he had agreed to several advance edits to his speech by school Principal BJ Buchmann. But he resisted when Buchmann told him to also take out his disclosure of being gay. 
 
 "One of my themes is that I was going to tell everyone my secrets," Young explained Thursday. "Most of the things were stupid stuff — books I never read that I was supposed to, or homework I didn't like. But then I gradually worked up to serious secrets. 
 
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 "My main theme is that you're supposed to be respectful of people, even if you don't agree with them. I figured my gayness would be a very good way to address that." 
 
 Young said he emailed Buchmann with his revised speech with all but the one requested edit having been made, and did so several days in advance of the May 16 graduation ceremony. 
 
 The school contends he failed to do so as required and that his presentation was canceled "to protect the solemnity of the evening and to preserve and protect the mission of the school." 
 
 A statement released by the school's board of directors stated that Young failed to abide by pre-screening rules — and also "failed to follow guidelines of the evening by removing the sleeves of his graduation gown." 
 
 A comment in that statement, attributed to school attorney Barry Arrington, said a graduation ceremony is "a time for family and those closest to the students to celebrate success and express mutual wishes of gratitude and respect. It is not a time for a student to use his commencement speech to push his personal agenda on a captive audience, and school officials are well within their rights to prevent that from happening." 
 
 'I was not OK with it' 
 
 According to Young and his family, prior to the graduation ceremony, the principal called the student's father, Don Young — who has previously served on the charter school's board of directors — and outed the teen to his parents. 
 
 "Mr. Buchmann called me and said, 'I've got Evan's speech here. There's two things in it that I don't think are appropriate,'" Don Young, an accountant, recalled. "One was he had mentioned another student's name. And then there was his coming out that he was gay." 
 
 That was the first time in Evan Young's life that his parents had been given a clue about his sexual identity. 
 
 "My parents are very liberal. I think they were totally OK with it," Evan Young. "But I was not OK with it. 
 
 "I think what it mainly showed is that he didn't have a lot of sympathy for me, or someone in my position. He didn't understand how personal a thing it was, and that I wasn't just going to share it with people randomly, for no reason. I thought it was very inconsiderate for him to do something like that, especially without asking me first." 
 
 Their son's sexuality, reported to them by their child's principal, was not earthshaking news to Don Young and his wife. 
 
 "He's Evan, you know?" his father said. "He's never really expressed interest in either (boys or girls). He's just a teenager. ... But we had no indication beforehand." 
 
 Initially, Evan's parents were somewhat sympathetic to Buchmann's decision concerning the speech. 
 
 "His mother and I were not sure that his coming out in a valedictorian speech was the appropriate place to say it, with grandchildren and 3-year-olds in the audience, and that's kind of what we said to BJ," Don Young said. 
 
 However, both Evan Young and his father said Buchmann only notified the student and his family a few minutes before the ceremony that his speech — or even a recognition of his status as valedictorian in the graduating class of about 30 — would not be part of the year-ending proceedings. 
 
 "On the Friday, the day before the ceremony, I had written him (Buchmann) a handwritten letter so that he couldn't forward it," Evan Young said. "I'd told him I'm not going to remove the part where I say I'm gay, because I am. It's important to me. And I said if he has any questions, he can contact me by email over the next 24 hours or so. 
 
 "He didn't ever email me back, and so I figured he must be OK with my speech." 
 
 Evan's parents, now almost two weeks after the fact, aren't happy with the way the matter was handled by Buchmann, who could not be reached Thursday for comment. 
 
 "The kid worked hard for four years," Don Young said. "Straight A's and everything else. He wasn't even recognized." 
 
 Student privacy 
 
 The controversy quickly reached the attention of the LGBT advocacy group Out Boulder. 
 
 Mardi Moore, executive director of Out Boulder, said: "It's wrong, and it's not fair. The young man has all but a 4.5 GPA; he has told me that since a toddler he has worked for that honor, and they denied it. 
 
 "I wish I could say that I'm surprised, but I'm not surprised because I get to talk to youth on a regular basis who continue to be exposed to bullying and continue to encounter administrators and principals who do not understand much about the LGBT experience." 
 
 As for Buchmann's allegedly telling Evan Young's parents about his sexuality, Out Boulder board President Ann Noonan said, "That is a total violation of his educational privacy rights, if that in fact happened. It just goes from bad to worse." 
 
 A meeting to discuss the issue took place at the St. Vrain Valley School District office in Longmont on May 21, including Superintendent Don Haddad, Assistant Superintendent Regina Renaldi, Buchmann, Moore and One Colorado Executive Director Dave Montez, who labeled the episode "disheartening." 
 
 "I would say to the high school principal, outing someone to his family without giving them the opportunity to have that conversation, is dangerous and it can lead to terrible repercussions for LGBT kids," Montez said. 
 
 Some reports of the Twin Peaks controversy had also reached the ears of Rev. Luke Grobe, a pastor at Longmont's United Church of Christ and chairman of the St. Vrain Valley Safe Schools Coalition. 
 
 "One of the questions that comes to my mind is, are our schools in place to support the students for who they are there, or are our schools in place to prevent our students from being who they are?" Grobe said. 
 
 St. Vrain Valley school board President Bob Smith said he had learned of the episode through Haddad, the district superintendent. Haddad also could not be reached for comment. 
 
 "Being one of the charters over which we don't set policy, I wouldn't have any comment on it," Smith said. 
 
 In the Boulder Valley School District, 2013 Fairview High School graduate Ted Chalfen gave a commencement address — he had auditioned for the right to do so, as he was not a valedictorian — in which he talked about his status as a gay student. 
 
 Chalfen's sexuality, unlike Young's, was already known by a number of his peers, and Fairview Principal Don Stensrud supported him as a featured speaker. 
 
 Hearing on Thursday about Evan Young's speech being scuttled, Chalfen — who has just completed his sophomore year at the University of Colorado — said, "As sad as it is, it doesn't shock me that this happened." 
 
 Charlie Brennan: 303-473-1327, brennanc@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/chasbrennan
– Seth Owen was over the moon when he received what appeared to be the path to his "life goal" of going to college: an acceptance letter from Georgetown University. But the Florida 18-year-old, who was the co-valedictorian of his senior class, had his hopes dashed when he later received his financial aid package from Georgetown, which had been based on the expected contribution from his family. The problem: He's estranged from his Southern Baptist parents, and was essentially forced out of his home, because he's gay, NBC News reports. Owen says his parents found out he was gay when he was a sophomore, made him go to Christian-based conversion therapy, and eventually told him he had to keep going to their church—which Owen says bashed the LGBT community—or leave. And so in February, he did, crashing with friends instead. He says he was "devastated" when he realized he couldn't afford the tuition for his first year at Georgetown—annual tuition and fees comes to around $70,000, and Owen would have to pay about $22,000 of that, per the Advocate—let alone for all four years. Enter Jane Martin, Owen's former bio teacher, who says Owen always "stood out to me." Martin, who's also gay, set up a GoFundMe for her ex-student, who also served as the ring bearer in her wedding. She explained she wanted to "help … bring a rainbow in the midst of Seth's storm" and "make the impossible possible." The GoFundMe has so far raised more than $82,000—and if Georgetown eventually acquiesces and adjusts Owen's financial aid package, Martin and Owen say they'll use leftover donations to set up a scholarship fund for other gay teens. Owen plans on studying to become a criminal defense lawyer for teens, per WJXT.