Hello,

My name is Vincent, but most know me as Joe, and I'm starting this GoFundMe with hopes of getting a do-over for college. When I first attended college back in 2012, I was pretty aimless, and truly had no idea what I wanted to do for a career, which meant when it was time to declare a major, I chose Psychology. I didn't think about what I'd be doing in that field, I didn't think about the courses or credits I'd need, I didn't even know how long it would take me to complete my studies. I just took it to take something. After two semesters, it really started to show how that decision (or lack thereof) was a colossal mistake. I started slacking and missing classes until I eventually just withdrew from college to work full-time, because I just couldn't keep up with everything.

Enter AMC. For the last 10 years of my life, I've been a loyal employee for American Multi-Cinemas (got the pin to show it). During that time, I've gotten the opportunity to meet and befriend so many people. Whether it be colleagues or guests, the wonderful people I saw day to day really made me stick through all the hard times. I will always love the people who changed my life over the years at AMC, but earlier this year, I left the company. I felt myself needing something more, and after the joy and sadness of seeing so many great people come and go (mainly to pursue a higher education) I left it all behind. Unknown to me at the time, my previous attempt at college was going to block my path.

SAP stands for Satisfactory Academic Progress. SAP determines if you can receive FAFSA. Each college defines their specific SAP standards and at NOVA, one of the requirements is to achieve a completion rate of 67%. To determine if you are above or below, you take your earned credits, and divide them by your attempted credits. I'm writing this out because over the last few days, I've learnt a lot about SAP. Unfortunately for me, those last two semesters I took back in 2014 dropped me below 67%, therefore disqualifying me from student aid, which is the main reason I'm starting this fundraiser. There are two ways to get back to good standing, one of which is an appeal, which I have submitted and desperately hope will get approved. The other being paying out of pocket for classes each semester until you rise above the 67%. I worry that the latter option will be my path forward, and while I am currently enrolled and signed up for Fall classes, if I can't make the payments, then I won't be attending.

I've never done one of these, so I'm not sure what kind of deadline or timeframe something like this allows, but with Fall classes right around the corner, I know the notice is incredibly short, but any support would be incredibly appreciated. It's been 13 years, I'm 31 now, but I finally feel like I'm ready to set myself on a path to success. I see where my wife is in life, and after putting in the hours, she's incredibly happy doing what she spent years studying, and I really just want to feel the same about my career. I really appreciate people taking the time to read this, especially if you got this far.

Thank you,

Joe