My Story: Holding On, Dreaming Forward

My name is Jaa'lon Baker, and I am a first-generation graduate student at the University of Washington Tacoma, working toward a master’s in Community Planning. My dream is to create new, just, and accessible structures in higher education, city planning, and community life—frameworks where people don’t just survive, but thrive in dignity.

But right now, I need help holding on.

This summer, my housing balance and tuition bills collided with the harsh reality of being an unemployed student. Despite my commitment, effort, and resilience, the safety net that should have caught me is frayed. I’ve been navigating late fees, housing insecurity, and the overwhelming anxiety of trying to stay afloat while pursuing the very education that will allow me to make a lasting difference.

✨ What I Give to the Community

Even in the midst of struggle, I have never stopped showing up for others.

I share healing and presence through:

Reiki energy work – helping people ground themselves when the world feels unsteady.

Sound baths and group meditation – creating moments of rest and collective breathing in a restless world.

Astrology readings – offering guidance that blends reflection with empowerment.

These practices aren’t just hobbies. They are extensions of my belief that we can reimagine care, healing, and connection—together.

What I Plan to Build

With my degree in Community Planning, I aim to reshape the structures that shape us:

Higher Education: designing systems where first-gen and marginalized students don’t have to fight uphill battles just to belong.

City & Regional Planning: creating cities where equity isn’t an afterthought but the blueprint.

Social Proxemics: rethinking the ways space, relationships, and belonging intersect in community life.

I carry with me the lessons of being an AmeriCorps alumnus, a poet, and a motivational speaker—voices and visions that remind us that transformation starts with the courage to imagine something better.

Why I’m Asking for Help

I am not asking out of defeat. I am asking because I believe in community—because I know that just as I pour energy into others, sometimes it is my turn to receive.

Every contribution will help me stabilize my housing, cover my overdue tuition, and keep me moving toward graduation. More than that, your support means that the healing, planning, and visioning work I do can continue to ripple outward.

How You Can Help

Donate if you can. Every dollar is a step toward stability.

Share this campaign. Someone in your network may feel called to support.

Hold me in thought, prayer, or meditation. Energy matters.

I believe we can reimagine the structures that failed me—and so many others. But I need help to stay in the fight long enough to do it.

Thank you for reading, for caring, and for believing in what we can create together.

With gratitude,

Jaa'lon