To my community,

My name is Jalani Clemmons, and I am currently a freshman at Howard University pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science. With this degree, I am hoping to go into the field of Cybersecurity, not only because I want to use my knowledge and passion of coding and problem solving to help keep individuals' information protected; Cybersecurity is also a career choice that will be exciting and allow me to explore the world, while also creating a stable financial life for my family and I. My greatest desire and personal mission is to become the first man in my family, to graduate college. My hope is to break the cycle of my family’s past generations, to inspire my future lineage that higher education is obtainable.

Unfortunately, due to Howard’s administrative and systems challenges (https://www.washingtoninformer.com/howard-students-financial-challenges/),

I am left with a balance of just under $20,000 for the 2025/26 school year (without taking out hefty student loans), of which I have one month to resolve prior to the end of the add/drop period. If left unpaid, I risk my enrollment in school, I will not be eligible to enroll in spring classes, and my housing will be jeopardized.

I humbly ask for your support to help me continue pursuing my education at Howard. Your gift, no matter the size, will go directly toward my outstanding tuition balance, materials, and housing for the 2025/26 school year. Whether it’s through your donation, or sharing this campaign, you will be helping me to not only further my education in pursuit of accomplishing my long-term goals, but also honor the hard work and sacrifices it took for me to get here; and for that I am grateful. Thankfully, someone has generously offered to match every dollar raised, up to $5,000.00! This means every contribution has double the impact toward helping reach my goals.

I would like to share a little about my journey thus far:

In high school, I attended Seattle Academy, a college prep school, where I worked hard maintaining High Honor Roll from the 6th through 12th grade, while also leading as team captain of both my basketball and track teams, as well as in Black Student Union. I was blessed with opportunities when it came time to choose a college, and it came down to two schools: the University of Washington (UW) and Howard University (HU).

UW accepted me into the prestigious Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering, on a near full ride scholarship. However, my heart was set on HU. Beyond Howard being a great institution, I wanted to step outside of Seattle and experience a different part of the country, as well as be part of a historic community built for students like me. So, I was elated when I got accepted into HU! Although it was a very difficult decision between the two, I ultimately chose Howard because of its rich heritage and legacy, as well as to experience life in a new State.

Unfortunately, the path to starting school wasn’t smooth. Before move-in, I faced several unexpected challenges that were out of my control. Including but not limited to, increased tuition (tuition went from $59k to $64k after I accepted my enrollment), as well as the delay of my financial aid package, which resulted in me not knowing what my tuition balance would be. It was also disappointing to learn that I was put on the waitlist for a work study position. So, I've been diligently looking for employment off campus and applying for scholarships. However, neither of these options will be an immediate resolution to my current circumstances. While I knew that I was awarded an $18,000.00 merit scholarship from Howard, my FAFSA package didn’t arrive until the day before move-in of which I learned of all the additional expenses. That left my mom and I with no real clarity on how everything would be paid; it was truly a leap of faith to show up and begin this journey.

I will be eternally grateful if you choose to financially contribute to my journey at Howard! Thank you in advance for taking the time out to hear my call for help, and I would appreciate your prayers for my continued academic success.

With immense gratitude,

Jalani Clemmons