Nathan, 33

New York, meet Nathan. A 33 year old native from Los Angeles who moved to the Big Apple six years ago with his girlfriend and his two closest friends. Looking for a fresh start, Nathan decided to move to New York for a little change of scenery and to start a new life for himself. Nathan has been living with his friend, who he used to work with as a receptionist back in L.A., for the last six years. Nathan told me that his friend has been a lifesaver for him and has always had his back, even throughout these last difficult six years for him. After a few minutes of talking with Nathan it was no wonder why his friend has been helping him for so long, Nathan is a skilled mechanic with an insane amount of potential.

Not only has it been an adjustment for Nathan since moving here, but he has done it all by himself while his family remains scattered throughout the west coast and in Texas. When I asked Nathan how he maintains, Nathan informed me how he and his girlfriend go out and collect cans to cash them in at the end of each day. This relentless entrepreneur continues to grind and make money so he can support his girlfriend, himself, and even give his friend a little money for letting them crash at their house. Nathan receives $0.05 a can and he collects around 2,000 a day between him and his girlfriend’s bag. Nathan used to replace oil cans for various body shops, it was a side hustle that quickly turned into a full-time job, but since the pandemic hit he has lost that job and has moved on to collecting cans for cash.

Nathan told me that while some people help him out and either talk to him for a moment or give him a hot meal to eat, most of the people that pass by just simply pass by without even acknowledging his existence. It’s hard to keep a fighting spirit when life is tossing you left and right, but it makes it even harder when nobody is by your side. Nathan is a fighter and will continue to progress even when the odds are not in his favor. His birthday is coming up on December 8th, and while he isn’t thrilled about being older he’s more worried about how brutal the winter will be this year. So please, if you see this warrior walking through the city, just talk with him for a second and challenge him to a game of rock, paper, scissors… he loves to win.

Story by Dawson