How did your 2026 begin? The morning of January 1, 2026, Krystal was driving from Sacramento to Davis to feed a collective of cats that reside at the Physics department on the UC Davis main campus, including the famous residential cat Cheeto. Krystal and her colleagues rotate on weekends and university holidays to make sure the cats are fed and taken care of. What started as her altruistic morning turned deadly as her car died on the freeway. She safely pulled over and her car informed her to restart the vehicle. Krystal’s car erupted in smoke, then flames, and Krystal barely escaped the now burnt vehicle.

Krystal is an animal lover, a hard worker, UC Davis employee, volunteer for an a handful of organizations to support their mission, graduate student, and facing turbulent economic hardships in pursuit of a better life for herself and her loved ones. Going back to school after decades of being out of undergraduate education, Krystal has persevered through the financial challenges of graduate school and life. At the time, Krystal could not afford full coverage insurance on her car.

23 days without her car and only source of transportation, Krystal is facing large fees for each day her burnt car is at the towing facility. She hasn’t been able to work in person and the burden and stress of not having a vehicle is causing extra duress during this time.

Please help Krystal raise $1200 by Feb 1 to pay the company to take possession of her car (otherwise it turns into a $6980+ fee) and build a small down payment towards a new used car. Krystal has no savings to turn to. Any amount you can help will make a difference in the life of this phenomenal humanitarian and scholar.