STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Nick Slaughter is a senior at the Gene L. Klida Utica Academy for International Studies.
The last four years of high school for him have looked very different than it does for most teenagers.
"The large part of my story comes from coming from a single-parent, low-income background," Slaughter said.
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Being the oldest of three siblings with a single mother, Slaughter said his family has always struggled.
However, it was his freshman year when his mother got into a car crash and became bed-ridden that the responsibilities of a parent became his own.
"As a Christian, one of the most important things you’re always told is ‘honor your father and mother,’" Slaughters said. "I was like, 'I can't let my mom down,' and it's not her fault that she was unable to work and do all these things."
So, Slaughter began to do them.
At age 14, he studied to maintain a 4.0 in school, worked 20 hours a week to provide for his family, then came home to cook and clean for his siblings.
"I was tired a lot and there were times where I wanted to give up but I mean, they were always my motivation at the end of the day, was to keep doing good for them," Slaughter said, referring to his younger siblings.
At the time, Michelle Wlodarczyk was one of Slaughter's teachers.
"I had no idea what was going on with him because he’s such a happy kid and he just enjoys being in school," Wlodarczyk said.
However, at age 16, Slaughter said that the pressure of it all became too much.
Dedicated to creating opportunity through his education, Slaughter felt himself slipping and moved in with the family of a friend from school. He said that for the first time, he experienced parental support.
"Eating at a dinner table was something that we never did at my house. When I had to do that there, it was like, surreal is the only word I can come up with," Slaughter said. "It was great to me to be able to experience that normalcy."
Slaughter said that he no longer had to think about what he was going to eat for dinner while he was in math class. For the first time, he wasn't just getting by, he was excelling.
In 2024, Slaughter became emancipated. In December, he got an email saying that he has been accepted to the University of Notre Dame on a full-ride scholarship.
"I thought it wasn’t real. I thought it was congratulations for applying," Slaughter said. "It does feel like all my hard work has definitely paid off."
Wlodarczyk said, "I see a different confidence that I didn’t see four years ago. It’s like he’s turning into an adult, which has been great to see."
Today, Slaughter continues to work to try to support himself and give to his family. He's been named valedictorian of his graduating class. His dedication to education is opening all the doors he dreamed of.
"I’m just so grateful to have had the support," Slaughter said. "I think the main two things that I've learned is that hard work pays off and that we need to support everyone we can in all the ways we can because they need it."
Slaughter said that he plans to pursue civil engineering at the University of Notre Dame.
He wants to go into construction management and ultimately help those who are homeless.
