INTRODUCTION
Hi, I’m Jonathan Sapaugh. The word ‘Unlabeled’ is something I use to describe how I live my life. In my teens, I was diagnosed with a learning disability and labeled emotionally disturbed by the public-school system. I was isolated and told that I would never function in society the same way as everyone else. For a very long time, I even believed them. It became my truth.
Frustrated and fed up with the system, I decided choose my own path. I set out on a mission to prove to myself that I could be more than the labels I was being assigned and that I could be Unlabeled. I went on to accomplish amazing things that medical professionals told me would be impossible for someone ‘like me’. I managed to earn my GED, serve with honor and distinction in the U.S. Army, graduated from a four year university, married the woman of my dreams, had three wonderful children, and have been self-employed running my own business for four years.
I’m on a new mission to reach out to today’s youth who have been marginalized and labeled like I was. Based on my own experiences, I know there are others like me out there who are struggling and need help, but won’t admit it (even to themselves). It’s my mission to identify these individuals, to provide support by letting them know that there is hope, and that they are not overlooked and forgotten. I want to show them that no matter what society has labeled them, that there is a purpose for each one of them and that it’s okay for them to be themselves. They too can live an abundant Unlabeled life just like I have.