Help Zaid Get into Rutgers

Hi, I, Mahnoor, am initiating a fundraiser for my dear friend Zaid, who has recently been admitted to some of the finest policy schools in North America. In an ideal world, finances do not come into the way towards social provisions; the world we dwell, however, is wrought with gatekeeping rights as basic as acquiring education. In a bid to overcome financial hurdles, I am turning towards my community to help Zaid attend the university he deserves, and has demonstrated by securing a seat on merit. Here is his story:

This is Zaid and I come from Pakistan.

I graduated from Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) in 2021 with a History degree attaining High Merit. I have recently secured admission at the Master in Public Policy Program at Rutgers University, with a tuition waiver worth 50%. Rest of the tuition fee and mandatory health insurance amounts to CAD $30000 per annum. With potential working opportunities, I will be able to manage my living expenses for both years of degree. My savings will cover health insurance, visa application, and air-ticket. After all these arrangements, I am still short of CAD $18000 which potentially covers my tuition for first year. Only after I raise this amount, I’ll be able to make my way to the United States to begin my degree.

Ideally, education should not be confined to only those who can afford to pay; however, since we live in a world where finances come into the way of even the basic provisions, I am relying on community support to fund my post-grad education. Please read up my story.

Who Am I?

I have lived my entire life in Pakistan, and my education has throughout been state-funded. I attended government schools, and secured a full tuition waiver for my undergrad to study at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). Had it not been for the generosity of the financial aid initiative, studying at the best institution of this country could not have been possible. The waiver, however, did not cover my living expenses, and my family could provide for only part of the living allowance. I served as Teaching Assistant (TA) for 3 semesters, and research Assistant (RA) for one semester, along with other part-time jobs, which helped me meet expenses for most part of the university. The fact that I was the first one in my family to be admitted to the university and my mother is a public school teacher inspired me to learn more about social inequity. Since graduation, I have been working in the education sector in various capacities, currently at The Citizens Foundation (TCF), and look forward to dedicating my professional life towards social policymaking. An admission from Rutgers in the MPP program is testament to my professional aspirations.

I should also mention that apart from Rutgers, I have also been offered admissions from UChicago, and Syracuse university. These offers speak of my consistence hard-work, and an ability to perform well academically. However, since Rutgers matches with my research focus more than other comparable policy schools. The reason to study outside my country is that no policy program in Pakistan provides adequate academic training and exposure that prepares policymakers for challenges plaguing the world and Pakistan, most notably climate change and environmental degradation.

To everyone reading this message, I request you to assist me in overcoming the financial hurdle hindering my way to higher studies. Hailing from the Global South and growing up in a defaulting economy where rupee depletes against dollar on a daily basis, coupled with an absence of generational wealth, it is impossible for someone belonging to my socio-economic background to attend even a public university, that too on a partial waiver, in my case, Rutgers. Since I need CAD $18000, I would appreciate your support in making my dream of pursuing higher education a reality. It is crucial to mention that the aforementioned degree is currently ranked 3rd globally, which speaks for the quality of the program.

After asking for extensive loans from friends and family, and exhausting all my resources to the limit, I am hoping and relying on the generosity of people like you who will resonate with my ambitions and my drive to be a policy practitioner intending to give back to the community. Any donations will go far in helping me achieve my dreams of studying one of the best interdisciplinary policy and planning programs in the world.

If you have read this far, I would like to thank you, and want you to know that I promise to pass on this noble act of facilitating education. There will always be dreamers, held back by tough circumstances, and if allowed to aspire towards a better life, I will help with paving the way for so many others to come after me.

Should you have any question, you can reach out via Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/muhammad-zaid-79a1711b9

Thank you for your support!