MY GOAL IS $100,000 to help cover everything I need to finish this journey! 

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Hello. My name is Ashley Collins. I am a 32-year-old doctoral candidate that needs your help.

For the past 3 years, I have been on the journey to completing my Ph.D. in Psychology at Walden University. Currently, I have completed all of my coursework with a 4.0 GPA and three of the mandatory four residencies.

In 2021, I began this journey, knowing that I wanted to be a light in this world. I worked very hard and made it to the dissertation phase of my doctoral journey. But in the second term, my grandmother suddenly passed away, and it derailed me. Not only that, but I was told by Student Aid that I was no longer eligible for financial aid due to maxing out, and that I was not eligible for the Graduate Plus Loans. As you can imagine, depression and imposter syndrome began to set in. I wondered if I was able to even continue on, especially with my biggest cheerleader no longer here.

Fast forward to recently, I began to pick up my pen again. Although I am not enrolled, I have relied on the help of my colleagues and professors that I have cultivated rapport with to help me unofficially draft the Prospectus—Phase 1 of this Dissertation Journey. I just had a meeting with my Program Director to discuss my unofficial prospectus, and the meeting was positive. She wants to see me finish, my family does as well, but most importantly, I want to finish. The motivation, feedback, and support I have received from my department, while not being enrolled, lets me know that I am in the right place.

If there is anything I have learned in this season, it is that closed mouths do not get fed. I NEED YOUR HELP. With no assistance from the government and not having a full-time job, this bill is beyond what I can handle. When I withdrew, it left me with a heavy balance of over $5,000 that I owe to the school. Additionally, each term is about $3,500, so off the top, I would need around $10,000 to get started. After that, I still have a residency to complete, and my hope is to complete this phase within 8 terms.

With the Dissertation Phase, this is considered full-time. You are putting in close to 40 hours a week doing research and writing. While I will be keeping my part-time job, I want to make sure that I can provide for my daughter and me while getting this part of my journey completed as well. Unfortunately, right now I do not have a car either, so part of this money will help get us around to where we need to go.

I know this economy is tough, but if you can help, I am humbly asking.

This funding will go toward the owed balance, the quarterly balances, the residency and necessary itinerary mandates, graduation travel, etc.

I am truly grateful for anything you contribute.

Thank you for reading and understanding.

Sincerely,

(Future Dr.) Ashley Nicole Collins