Dear President Obama,

I write today to thank you for what you have done for our country, and more importantly, what you stand for.

My name is Josh and I am 23 years old. I fall into the group of Americans who were brought up with just enough to get by, and who have struggled on a regular basis. My mother was a single parent who tried to do the best she could for us (I have a 30-year-old brother, and 13-year-old sister), but we always lived paycheck to paycheck. When I wanted to go to college after high school, I was only able to attend one semester because my grandparents cosigned for a student loan. You see, my mom made too much money on paper, but didn't have any extra for my college education. She also didn't have enough credit to cosign for my student loans, and I was not able to continue college after my first semester.

Today, I am proud to say that after months of feeling down and out and struggling to find work, I am a small business owner. I’ve always loved pool and billiards, and I was able to put away enough money to buy a pool hall in my hometown of Racine, Wisconsin. I have one other employee. It makes me so proud to think of where I came from and to know that not only am I a small business owner at a young age, but also a job creator, even if it’s only one job!

While I still struggle, I feel like I have an opportunity for something great, and I got that inspiration from you. Your story is much like mine (or vice-versa, rather), with a single mom who loved me and just wanted me to do better than she did—who just wanted to give me an opportunity.