For much of her life, Binghamton University sophomore Jade Maniscalco has had no place to call home.

When she was seven, her parents began a long divorce process that left her in the midst of domestic disputes, physical and mental abuse and alienation from her family members. She slept on park benches and had to travel to the local supermarket just to use the bathroom.

Maniscalco, who plans to major in psychology, supports herself entirely — relying on student loans and the money she makes at her job with Harpur Academic Advising. She emancipated herself from her parents when she was still in high school.

She has no medical insurance, and since she broke her finger and got the flu last semester, she has become saddled with hospital bills.

“It’s super bad,” she said. “I have $2,000 worth of hospital bills I have to pay to Lourdes.” And that is on top of her student loans. “They’re adding up fast.”

But now she is taking part in a contest that could give her a big break — a $20,000 scholarship from www.zinch.com.

Zinch is a social networking Web site that helps introduce students to various colleges and scholarship opportunities. According to their site, “We can match students to any scholarship out there.”

To enter the contest, Maniscalco created a Facebook group “Help Jade win a $20,000 scholarship from Zinch.com!” If she has the Facebook page with the most fans by March 16, she can advance to the next round of the competition.

Even if she does not have the largest fan page, she still hopes a close second or third would get her into the “Cinderella 6,” the wild card of the March Madness-themed contest.

At the time of print, 1,951 people were fans of Maniscalco’s Facebook page — but she’s up against some stiff competition. Though many other Zinch-related pages have well under 1,000 fans, some have as many as 4,500.

Maniscalco said she has spent a significant amount of time on Facebook checking out the competition.

“I know I’m in the top 10,” she said. Although she made her group a week after the contest opened, she thinks she can still make the top three if the number of her fans continues to increase at the same pace.

She found out about the scholarship a year ago when she got an invitation to be a fan of another person’s group. This year she is the one sending the invitations — something she spends a lot of time doing these days.

“I think I’m just annoying people at this point,” she said, but she encouraged people to take time to help her out.

“It only takes two minutes of your time, and it makes the hugest impact in the world,” she said.

Diane Wong, a sophomore majoring in political science and Asian American studies, has known Maniscalco since the seventh grade. She did not expect to be going to college with Maniscalco, but they are now roommates.

“She’s been one of the most inspiring people in my life,” Wong said. “All that she’s been through … she still manages to fill the room with laughter. She still wakes up with a smile on her face. I think it’s incredible.”

Maniscalco said her experiences, though tragic, have led her to live a more positive life.

Reflecting on her experience, she said, “Education is the key to getting out of the problems that all these people have.”