#sshqsam

FINN: I’m thinking Mario Kart tourney in the living room sometime this week.

FINN: My shift at the auto shop is done soon so if you're not too busy, you think we could play some ball?

FINN: And if you're hungry we can get something to eat after?

full name: Samuel Dwight Evans age: 18 grade: Junior gender identity: cismale pronouns: he/him sexual & romantic orientation: (closeted)bi-sexual/bi-romantic family members of importance: Dwight and Mary Evans (parents), Stevie Evans (8), Stacie Evans (7) clubs/teams (if any): New Directions, Secret Society of Superheroes Club, The God Squad, Art Club positive traits: optimistic, dependable, hard-working, loving, selfless negative traits: naive, stubborn, hyper-focused, impulsive, ditzy

biography

From day one, the Evans were a tight knit family. Sam was the honeymoon baby Dwight and Mary hadn’t planned for, and while it brought a financial struggle they weren’t prepared for, being a family of three felt complete. As a kid, Sam didn’t notice that his stuff wasn’t as fancy as his peers. The kids liked his silly voices, and being the class clown meant he had all of the friends. When his reading comprehension wasn’t up to snuff with even the lowest reading groups, everyone chalked it up to a lack of focus. Holding him back a school year should straighten him out, they thought. He didn’t understand why he wasn’t able to be in class with all his friends anymore, and while the new classmates were fine, Sam figured out he had to focus, or he’d be in Ms. Henry’s first grade class forever.

It helped, to an extent. Sam’s focus brought his performance up to fly with the Yellow Birds and move on to second grade, but school was a struggle. He hated how hard he had to work, hated that his performance never got recognized. As the years went on, he started to give up, merely worrying about passing once he fully understood what that meant. Teachers voiced their concerns, Dwight and Mary tried to fix his behavior with stricter house rules, but it wasn’t until a middle school art class that someone realized it might be something deeper. With a pencil or paintbrush, Sam was expressive, describing everything he did in great detail. But to learn about the artists or write about his works, it was back to square one. His teacher recommended an evaluation, and dyslexia became part of his vocabulary shortly after the name Stacie.

With two infant kids and an almost teenager who now needed extra educational help, Dwight was put on a mission for a better job, better paycheck. Their move to Lima, Ohio was move number three, and Sam hoped, the last. He was steadily getting a grasp on how his mind worked and how to apply it to traditional learning. With new found time and energy he’s been able to truly come into himself outside the learning disability bubble. Making friends through more than just silly voices. Expressing himself through art and music. Regardless of the turmoil that seemed to surround the New Directions, his favorite extra curricular by far, Sam knew he’d found home. His people. Friends he could be 100% himself with, as soon as he knew 100% what that was.