Keep Kambi in School:My tuition for Colu...

Dear friends, family, colleagues, professors, and acquaintances,

I hope this note finds you all well. I am writing to make public a situation I have been struggling with privately for some time now.

Currently, I am in danger of not being able to return to Columbia University to finish my undergraduate studies and receive my degree due to exorbitant tuition costs. Despite the generosity of my particular institution, The School of General Studies, it is unable to give me more money, and I am unable to cover costs on my own. I do not have financial support from my family and am on my own regarding school costs.

I am reaching out because I need help from all of you to help me realize my dream of finishing college and moving on to advanced study. I am a year and a half away from completing my undergraduate studies and cannot imagine stopping now when I am so close to achieving my goal.

Prior to coming to Columbia University, I studied theatre at the Juilliard School. Upon leaving the institution, I embarked on a career as a dancer and actor both in New York and Los Angeles. While performing and studying dance I discovered a new passion: scholarship.

I wanted to combine my artistic and scholarly passions into one project. I sought out to film a documentary and companion book on the connections between dances of the African Diaspora from Hip-Hop to jazz, tap to swing, and dances from the Caribbean. Upon graduating, I hope to turn that project into a thesis, resume my career as a dancer, actor, and filmmaker, and pursue a PhD in African History.

 I love my institution and have grown tremendously as a student. I have formed relationships I hope to carry with me for the rest of my life, I have honed my skills as a critical thinker and writer, I have further developed my artistry through participating in Barnard’s dance department, and I have refined my thinking on a whole host of social and political issues facing my generation.

I want to continue on my journey here at Columbia and need to raise $40,000 in order to do so. Any contributions to my cause would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

                                                                                           Sincerely,

                                                                                                  Kambi Gathesha