Quincy Becker, 12, sits hunched over, arms folded tightly, as if holding themself together. Their eyes drift to the floor as their voice shakes with the weight of memory. “I’ve needed faith,” Becker begins softly, ” with the situation with my house and everything that’s come with it.” 

For over a year, Becker has carried a burden far heavier than most teenagers could imagine. Where classmates worry about finals or graduation, Becker has been paying a two-thousand-dollar mortgage, on a ten-dollar-an-hour job, all while juggling school and taking care of two younger siblings. Their mother passed away in February of 2024-2025 school year, leaving Becker to keep the household going by herself. 

“It’s been hard,” Becker acknowledges, fidgeting with their nails. “I just wanted to make sure my brother and sister were okay.”

Every word is laced with a quiet ache. Becker’s voice breaks as they talk about the fear of losing the only home left that still holds their mother’s presence. 

“I don’t have a backup plan,” they whisper. “I’m in fear of my current living situation.” The uncertainty of probate threatens to take the house away, leaving Becker unsure where to go next.

Still, amidst that fear, faith keeps them standing.

 “It relieved a lot of stress,” Becker, looking down. “It helped me keep going, even when I didn’t think I could.”  Recently, Becker’s boss offered to help-buying the home or putting it in the company’s name so Becker could stay. For the first time in months, there’s a small spark of hope. 

“I could still live there,” Becker recalls quietly, a quivering smile forming. “I’d be okay.”

Pressed to say whether faith or fear is winning, Becker takes a long pause. 

“It’s pretty even,” they confess in a hushed tone. “I wake up scared every day, but I remind myself—things happen the way they’re meant to.” 

Faith, for Becker, isn’t loud or sure. It’s fragile, trembling-but hanging on.