Donation protected
Leili’s American Dream
My lifelong dream of studying music in the United States has finally come true. But not every dream comes easily.
Hello everyone. My name is Leili Asanbekova and I'm a first-year graduate student at the University of Maryland studying Piano Performance. My journey at the piano began at the age of 6 and I cannot remember ever wanting to do anything else with my life but perform on the stage. I have been blessed to receive full scholarships to study in my home country of Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and France. Despite the incredible places that I was given the opportunity of study, my dream was always to study in the United States.
As an international student, I am not allowed to work outside of campus, an opportunity which many domestic students use to help fund their studies. I received a half-assistantship from the university, but this only gets me part of the way there. I am still responsible to pay for half of my tuition and all annual student fees. And while I do not have a car and walk to school every day of the week to practice, I still require money for rent and other living expenses. To keep my dream alive, I need to raise $3,600 for 3 credits and $2,700 for 3 months of rent - $6,300 in total.
I cried tears of joy the instant I opened the email from Admissions telling me that my audition was a success, and I was going to be a Terp! I was going to begin my classes in the Fall of 2020, but Covid-19 had different plans for me. As was the case for almost every performing artist, I had to put my dream on hold. This caused a severe depression, and a huge amount of anxiety – what if I never make it to America? But after a long year of waiting, I finally arrived at UMD. I am heartbroken that after 6 years of practicing and honing my technical skills, and finally getting accepted to my dream school, that I am unable to afford this fine education. In my culture, we never ask for help – it is considered a disgrace. But I will not let pride ruin my chances. I feel so extremely fortunate to be studying where I am right now, and I refuse to let anything stand in my way.
I am extremely committed to my art. I walk 30 minutes back and forth to school so I can practice there every day. It does not matter if it rains or snows, I show up. My piano teacher, Professor Larissa Dedova at the University of Maryland, is renowned in her field and inspires me at every lesson. She believes in my talent and potential to be a successful performing musician. UMD provides a world-class education as an official All Steinway Piano School. And nothing can replace the experience of playing in the state-of-the-art concert halls at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.
I ask you today to donate what you can to help make my dream a reality. Every bit of your support is helpful for me. Through your generosity I may continue my studies at this incredible institution and continue onward to the career of which I’ve always dreamed.
Thank you so much for considering my cause.
-Leili
Click the links below to see my recent performances!
https://youtu.be/as9sCHnk8-8
https://youtu.be/IPUsw6YSJpk
https://youtu.be/m_WyQTsDZ1M
https://youtu.be/9Fk2xTyQXz0
https://youtu.be/jTBBnlhYVDs
My lifelong dream of studying music in the United States has finally come true. But not every dream comes easily.
Hello everyone. My name is Leili Asanbekova and I'm a first-year graduate student at the University of Maryland studying Piano Performance. My journey at the piano began at the age of 6 and I cannot remember ever wanting to do anything else with my life but perform on the stage. I have been blessed to receive full scholarships to study in my home country of Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and France. Despite the incredible places that I was given the opportunity of study, my dream was always to study in the United States.
As an international student, I am not allowed to work outside of campus, an opportunity which many domestic students use to help fund their studies. I received a half-assistantship from the university, but this only gets me part of the way there. I am still responsible to pay for half of my tuition and all annual student fees. And while I do not have a car and walk to school every day of the week to practice, I still require money for rent and other living expenses. To keep my dream alive, I need to raise $3,600 for 3 credits and $2,700 for 3 months of rent - $6,300 in total.
I cried tears of joy the instant I opened the email from Admissions telling me that my audition was a success, and I was going to be a Terp! I was going to begin my classes in the Fall of 2020, but Covid-19 had different plans for me. As was the case for almost every performing artist, I had to put my dream on hold. This caused a severe depression, and a huge amount of anxiety – what if I never make it to America? But after a long year of waiting, I finally arrived at UMD. I am heartbroken that after 6 years of practicing and honing my technical skills, and finally getting accepted to my dream school, that I am unable to afford this fine education. In my culture, we never ask for help – it is considered a disgrace. But I will not let pride ruin my chances. I feel so extremely fortunate to be studying where I am right now, and I refuse to let anything stand in my way.
I am extremely committed to my art. I walk 30 minutes back and forth to school so I can practice there every day. It does not matter if it rains or snows, I show up. My piano teacher, Professor Larissa Dedova at the University of Maryland, is renowned in her field and inspires me at every lesson. She believes in my talent and potential to be a successful performing musician. UMD provides a world-class education as an official All Steinway Piano School. And nothing can replace the experience of playing in the state-of-the-art concert halls at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.
I ask you today to donate what you can to help make my dream a reality. Every bit of your support is helpful for me. Through your generosity I may continue my studies at this incredible institution and continue onward to the career of which I’ve always dreamed.
Thank you so much for considering my cause.
-Leili
Click the links below to see my recent performances!
https://youtu.be/as9sCHnk8-8
https://youtu.be/IPUsw6YSJpk
https://youtu.be/m_WyQTsDZ1M
https://youtu.be/9Fk2xTyQXz0
https://youtu.be/jTBBnlhYVDs
Co-organizers (5)
Leili Asanbekova
Organizer
Hyattsville, MD
Anthony Bock
Co-organizer
Francisco Alfonso Hernandez
Co-organizer
Jessica Harika
Co-organizer
Rhys Burgess
Co-organizer