Help Dana Go To College!

PORTFOLIO: https://eiranightingale.weebly.com/

SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hab0nde
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EiraNightingale/
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Introduction (cw: suicide & abuse)
My name is Dana, though online I tend to go under my alias Eira Nightingale. I am a 19 year old non binary self-employed freelance digital artist & aspiring cartoonist from the Greater St. Louis area. I have dreamed of becoming a comic artist since I was a child. I have one major project I have been working on since 2013 & I am hoping that within the next few years I can get it posted. Until then though, I will be working on smaller projects.

My main projects will feature a cast of LGBTQ+ characters. I want to bring more diversity into the comic field as well as represent LGBTQ+ individuals more.
My goal after I get my comic(s) up is to help my family as well as minority groups (specifically LGBTQ+ individuals) with whatever I earn off my comics.

I am an abuse/trauma survivor. Throughout my whole life my dad's family would berate me for wanting to pursue an art career as well as do various other things that I will not be going into details with. In 2016 I finally cut ties with my dad on my 18th birthday & have not spoken to him since. In 2015 I was in an abusive friendship that left me traumatized & was even contemplating suicide. I was unable to get professional help for it so I had to rely on my mom & a few of my friends to help me through it all. I am forever grateful for what they did to help me through that.
I had been battling untreated mental illness for many years & it was only recently that I finally started getting help for it.

I am on the autism spectrum & I am diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder & possibly Panic Disorder. I also have abandonment issues.

I was homeschooled all my life & in early 2016 I graduated from Southwestern Illinois College & earned my GED. One year I went to an art camp down in Florida but unfortunately I do not remember the name of the place I went to.

Why I need help
My dream may finally come true. I was looking into art colleges I could go to & found Max the Mutt College of Animation, Art & Design out in Toronto, Canada. I contacted them & was accepted into their certificate program which I will be taking before I attend college courses there. Once my program is done I will have all of the qualifications I need to attend classes at MTM. I plan on taking their sequential arts course as it offers exactly everything I need to get started on my cartooning career.

However, I have run into some problems that have been going on for the last few years.
In 2015 my mom suffered an ischemic stroke & lost her dance studio not long afterwards. In early 2016 we were kicked out of our old home & have been living with grandma ever since because we can't afford a new home. After I got my GED I got a job but I had to quit in July of 2017 due to the working conditions as well as the fact the environment was causing my mental health [which was already in bad shape] to decline. I have since been self-employed as a freelance digital artist but I am not earning nearly enough to support myself when I head up to Canada. I have tried searching for a new job but I have had no luck. No one has called me back for interviews.
On top of all of this I was recently scammed .

Max the Mutt has given me the opportunity to make my dream come true but I am absolutely terrified that if I can't earn enough before this coming summer I won't be able to stay in Canada & pursue my art career.

I need at least $26,000 before I head up this June. Max the Mutt needs me to show them this so I can prove I can stay in Canada as well as be able to apply for a study permit so I can take courses there. The rest of the funds will be going towards other necessities such as:

-College courses for the upcoming 4 years ($11,850 - $13,600. I'll be applying for permanent residence so at the moment I am unsure of how much tuition will cost.)
-Housing ($500. I'll be staying with one of the students for the summer but after that I am unsure.)
-Food, bills, etc. ($35 for internet & water. More TBA.)
-Passport ($200. Paid off.)
-Plane tickets (Paid off.)
-Text books, art supplies & various other things I'll need for classes.
-A new laptop.
-A new drawing tablet.

Please donate if you can. Even if you can't, you can still help by spreading the word. Thank you in advance.