I know there are many valiant causes on this site, but I know mine has merit as well. 

A nice way to think of this is that I am giving nakaia a present. Meanwhile, I am also facilitating an opportunity for other people to show their appreciation for her. Each donation is a huge present in my mind, and I know she'll think so too once she sees the website. I know college students are not rolling in expendable income so even $5 is huge in my opinion. It's the thought that counts.

If I don't make the goal it will still be exciting to show her I tried but more importantly, how many people supported the idea. 


The Backstory:
Nakaia and I met when we were only in 6th grade. She was very quiet and seemed to always be blushing because of her rosacea. My mother was a teacher at our school and saw that Nakaia liked me even though I was too blind to see it. After a sly suggestion by my mom, we started doing homework together after school in my mom's class.  

Little by little we became closer. At first it was about the school work, but then we started being less productive and found ourselves just talking the entire time. She wound up at my house and I remember making her toast because I didn't know what girls liked to eat. It became a tradition: First toast, then work.

However after making toast for someone so many times you are just bound to start liking them--she became my first real female friend. Time passed and we found ourselves next to each other in jazz band after school. More time passed and we found ourselves at a school dance together. And that's when it finally hit me: SHE LIKED ME... and I liked her too. Cliché? Yes, but it was more romantic and special than any of those movies have ever made it out to be.

That was in 10th grade. 4 years after we met and 4 years of her crushing on me without me noticing...

Well today it is about 4.5 years since that dance and I have been trying to make up for those 4 years of lost time to by reminding her of how much I love her whenever I can. 

This is where I need help. 

She is in France now for one semester studying abroad with her University. She has been studying French since freshman year of high school and is nearly fluent now. I know zero French, but it has always been a dream we share for us to be together in France so we can together witness her (very) hard work pay off. 

We would simply save up to go but we are both broke college students and she is getting to go on a scholarship. I'm afraid that we will never be able to go another time because of how incredibly long student loans take to pay off and our hope to raise a family together sometime after college. 

I have taken her to prom, graduated high school with her, and seen her embark on college. Please help me witness this next huge part of her life first hand. 

She is the type of person who doesn't ask for anything but tries to give everything. She is truly the nicest person I have ever met--after the eight and a half years of knowing her, I have never once seen her be rude to another person. She deserves this present and I'm coming to you, my friends, family, and strangers to help give her (and me) this experience. 

Like any good present, I want to keep this a secret from her until it becomes a reality.
 
I know it would mean the world to her to hear that I am able to come visit, so please any donation is truly, truly, appreciated. 

-Michael

Ps. Remember, don't tell Nakaia... yet!

Pss. The picture is of us at another dance we went to. It seemed fitting.