Raise Money For Summer of Excellence

Dear Friends,

I have been accepted to the University of Arizona's Summer of Excellence program where I will be taking college classes and engaging in the college experience for a month. Currently, I am a sophomore at University High School in Tucson. As incredible as this experience is, it is pricey, and I need your help. My goal is to raise $2,200 in the next ten days. The first deposit is due on the 29th. This program will be a significant stepping stone in my transition from high school to college transition that I am delighted to have.

Many of you know me well and know of my passions. Some of you may not be familiar with the experiences I have had recently that have shaped my vision. I hope to pursue psychiatry and, from that foundation of knowledge, research mental and cognitive disorders. I am drawn to the minutia of the mind and plan to further that interest through research. In this pursuit I hope to make a global contribution by being of service to less privileged groups, and the international awareness. I can think of no opportunity better than the Summer of Excellence to support this desire.

My interest in psychiatry and helping the less privileged was sparked by a volunteer excursion to the Bribri Indians reservation in Costa Rica. I had the amazing opportunity to work with children in the local school and spend time with the elderly in a whimsical retirement home. This experience broadened my awareness for the beauty of a simpler lifestyle. After experiencing such a drastically different lifestyle in an unfamiliar environment, I was inspired to learn more about other cultures. I found that there are many places that are not as lucky as most people in the United States or the Bribri Indians in Costa Rica. I want to do my best to increase the understanding of the prominent mental and cognitive processes occurring in these places and find the best ways to facilitate the flow of support to their communities.

I am asking for your help. Without the support of those who know me and share my concerns, this opportunity will pass me by. Any gift, of any size is deeply appreciated.

If due to your generosity, I raise more than I need for this program, I will be sending it to the Bribri community. They continue to work on building their infrastructure (when I left they were working on adapting the idea of a farmer's market to fit their community) and I would like to support that development.

Thank you so much for your time and any support.

Hannah