Biola Shakespeare Program

The short and sweet version: I am hoping to raise tuition in order to participate in Biola's Summer Shakespeare program, most of which takes place in Ashland, Oregon at the Shakespeare Festival, and consists of six units over three weeks. I have a longer and more convincing version of this below.

Hello everyone,

My name is Hailey and I am currently a transfer student at Biola University finishing up my second year as an undergraduate English Major with only one semester remaining before graduation. I am a straight "A" student, I have earned a place on the Dean's List each and every semester, and I am set to graduate this Fall with honors.

For an English Major, Shakespeare is not just a required class it is a right-of-passage. With graduation looming so close, this last semester many of my peers and professors encouraged me to apply for Biola's Summer Shakespeare program, as this summer would be the last chance I would ever have to participate in this experience (the class being reserved for undergrads only). Rather than spending a semester in a classroom reading the plays and maybe watching a couple of the movie adaptations, this class of twenty-five students spends only one week on campus and then has the pleasure of spending two weeks up in Ashland, Oregon for their prestigious Shakespeare Festival in order to experience Shakespeare's plays as the Bard intended while earning six units. After much prayer and discussion with my parents, who encouraged me to at least apply for the program, I inquired after the application process and was informed that I would be competing for a spot with many other applicants. Knowing this, I decided to leave it in God's hands, and started the application process. After a gauntlet of essays, interviews, and one grueling scavenger hunt all over campus for signatures, I am pleased to say that I made it through the application process and was subsequently offered one of the coveted spots in the program, which I accepted.

There has been only one contingency: when I submitted the application I also submitted a five-hundred dollar deposit which was non-refundable if I was accepted into the program. Furthermore, because there was such a rush to apply and beat out my competitors before all the spots were filled, and the details on the tuition cost were not readily available at the time, I was relying on old information regarding the cost of the program which estimated it to be around twenty-five hundred dollars. Thus, you might imagine my surprise when I was informed that the cost would be closer to $5,500, not including the three weeks of lost income, or my travel expenses. I have been able to make the first couple of payments, knowing that each one is absolutely non-refundable, and trusting that God will provide, as I believe he has set me on this path.

Therefore, I am asking you, my friends, family, and even the random stranger with a caring heart, to please consider making a donation, no matter how small, to help me achieve my goal. I am also asking that you would please share this link, whether you choose to donate or not, on your Facebook, Twitter, or whatever other means of communication you prefer.