Help Monica Go to College

My name is Monica Flatley, and as of right now, I will have to pay $20,418.00 for my college tuition at AMDA – The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. And while this amount is significantly less than the $40,820.00 I could be paying, I still can't afford it. The amount of income that my household is too low to pay for tuition, considering that my mother, my younger brother, and I live from paycheck to paycheck. It’s difficult, because my mom makes too much money for us to get government help, but not enough to pay for even half of my tuition. And despite the fact that I just recently got a job at AMC Theatres, I won’t make enough to even put a dent in my tuition; this is the first job I have ever had, and if I had known how expensive college really is, I definitely would have applied for one much sooner. We only have one car, because it is all we can afford. My brother and I used to receive child support from my father, but that has ceased (we believe it’s because he’s lost his job). I recently also attempted to get a loan with Sallie Mae, but was denied – I have no credit, and I don’t have anyone to cosign for me. But I refuse to give up my dreams, which is why I've set up this campaign for half of my tuition, which is 10,000.
Growing up in general is a challenge, and one could only imagine how difficult it is to do so with an absent parent. The baggage that comes with the loss seems unbearable at times, but acting helps me alleviate the weight of it all. Theatre is my way of evading the sadness and chaos and frustration within my life, and replaces it all with a blissful, comforting, and soothing state of mind... The theatre is my church, the stage is my god, the lines are my prayers. I realize that many people would argue that this sounds sacrilegious, but it isn't. I was always taught that God gave us all special gifts that allow us to be closer to Him, and the gift he has given me is the ability to stand on a stage and recite the gifts He gave others. Acting is my way of being close to Him...
As you can probably see, all I have ever wanted to do in life is act, and when I got accepted into this school, I literally felt like all of my dreams were finally coming true – I cried when I read the letter. I hadn’t really believed that I could get into a private school that only had a 32% acceptance rate, and that letter made my life dream seem like it was actually within reach. I don’t ever think that I’ve been so proud or self-confident in my entire life – it was an incredible feeling. However, when we got the financial aid information, and saw how much we were still going to have to pay, the balloon of elation that I had been floating on slowly began to sink – especially when my mom would say things like, “We can't afford that,” or, “That is way too much money for two years – there’s no way I can pay for that.” And while I understood (and still understand) that it is a lot of money, I swore to myself that I wouldn't let that stop me, because I know that on a stage in New York is where I'm meant to be.
This school is an incredible opportunity to educate myself further in what I was born to do, and I know that this is not only a wonderful chance, but a necessary one. I don't want to be one of those people who wonder whether or not they could have made it - that isn't the way someone should live; I want to learn from my mistakes, and I eventually want to be able to say, “I made it.” However, that isn't the only reason I want to go to this school (although, making it anywhere, especially Broadway, would be an incredible bonus); I want – no, need – to go to this school, because I have to experience everything theatrical that I can, in the city where theatre isn't a state of mind, but a state of being. I want to have the opportunity to succeed, or to fail – I want to fall, only to pick myself up again. I want to surround myself with incredible teachers and students who can help me grow as an actress, as well as a human being, and I want to be within the reach of Broadway – climbing the rungs of the latter that the men and women whose dreams came true before me built – while doing it.. It's what I've always wanted.
Any support that I get, I will be incredibly grateful for. Thank you so much for your time and your assistance - it means more than the world to me.