Help Make a College Dream Come True
Tax deductible
Meg McAuley Kaicher, Jennifer Stranzl and Lisa Leshne (pictured above) have teamed up to launch this campaign as an act of social justice for a young woman we know personally and are mentoring, Zofia.*
About Zofia
Zofia is a stellar A-average student at Greenwich High School, a public high school in CT serving close to 2,700 students. She came to the United States at the age of seven from Poland, is the only one in her family who speaks English, and handles all household affairs.
We met and were incredibly impressed with Zofia when she applied for a local 501c3 non-profit's scholarship award, where two of us serve on the Board. She is trying to find a way to be able afford to go this Fall to her first choice college, Fairfield University. She wants to study science and either become a Biology teacher or go into the medical field.
Zofia is a member of the National Honor Society, is a national gold medalist and state silver medalist for her ceramic artwork, and as Homecoming Chair raised more money for her school, by selling advertisements, than anyone previously. She regularly tutors disadvantaged youth and is an award-winner for her community service.
Zofia's high school guidance counselor states that she is “unequivocally the most impressive and amazing young person I have met in 16 years as a guidance counselor.”
Why We are Helping Zofia
Zofia has a work permit and a social security number, but is NOT eligible for federal student loans because of her non-citizen, undocumented status. She will not be able to afford to go to school and live on campus without help closing a $15,000 per year gap.
We believe it is an act of social justice to get this impressive young woman, a DREAMer who has grown up almost her whole life in the U.S. and is interested in STEM careers, a headstart chance at university.
Through a lot of perserverance, Zofia has received financial help from the university (approximately $33,000/year), some scholarship money, and as much money from her parents as they can give her (they work multiple menial jobs in housekeeping and construction), all of which covers 3/4 of the costs. She plans to work while at school, too. Nonetheless Zofia is still is short $15,000 per year.
Where the Money Will Go
Donation proceeds from this campaign will be sent by GoFundMe.com directly to Fairfield University in order to pay for her room and board so she can live on campus at least in her first year.
We were inspired to see how far people with undocumented status can go after reading this article about Julissa Arce, a former Goldman Sachs Vice President who was the subject of a recent profile in Bloomberg/Businessweek: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-25/how-an-undocumented-immigrant-from-mexico-became-a-star-at-goldman-sachs
Thank you for your consideration and please donate what you can to make Zofia’s dream come true!
--Meg McAuley Kaicher, Lisa Leshne, and Jennifer Stranzl
*Zofia is an alias as her real name has been kept confidential to protect her privacy. If you would like to learn more about her, or have other ideas on ways to help her further, then we are happy to discuss with you.
Additional Q&A:
Q: "Why not just choose a (cheaper) state school for Zofia that will give her a scholarship, or a more affordable community college option ?"
A: CT state schools may not be as progressive as schools in NY, CA and Texas that accept and offer scholarships and financial aid to undocumented Americans. UConn wait listed Zofia and wouldn't answer her financial aid questions. Other local schools denied her explicitly because of her undocumented status. Other private local universities to which she applied did accept her, but Fairfield offered her the most scholarship money, is her top choice, and financially is probably the most within reach. She did not want to attend community college, nor did she apply to one, given her top standing and grades at school and the fact that she only recently understood she could not get a federal loan, so she is really hoping a four-year university is the way that she can go to school.
Q: Why can't Zofia live off campus and commute to save money?
A: Commuting from her parents' home is a difficult option given weather, that traffic can be over two hours each way, and Zofia's car is quite old and may need costly maintenance over time. In addition, several Fairfield alums tell us that "campus life" is essential to become integrated and recommend she live on campus in her first year and ideally for all four years.
About Zofia
Zofia is a stellar A-average student at Greenwich High School, a public high school in CT serving close to 2,700 students. She came to the United States at the age of seven from Poland, is the only one in her family who speaks English, and handles all household affairs.
We met and were incredibly impressed with Zofia when she applied for a local 501c3 non-profit's scholarship award, where two of us serve on the Board. She is trying to find a way to be able afford to go this Fall to her first choice college, Fairfield University. She wants to study science and either become a Biology teacher or go into the medical field.
Zofia is a member of the National Honor Society, is a national gold medalist and state silver medalist for her ceramic artwork, and as Homecoming Chair raised more money for her school, by selling advertisements, than anyone previously. She regularly tutors disadvantaged youth and is an award-winner for her community service.
Zofia's high school guidance counselor states that she is “unequivocally the most impressive and amazing young person I have met in 16 years as a guidance counselor.”
Why We are Helping Zofia
Zofia has a work permit and a social security number, but is NOT eligible for federal student loans because of her non-citizen, undocumented status. She will not be able to afford to go to school and live on campus without help closing a $15,000 per year gap.
We believe it is an act of social justice to get this impressive young woman, a DREAMer who has grown up almost her whole life in the U.S. and is interested in STEM careers, a headstart chance at university.
Through a lot of perserverance, Zofia has received financial help from the university (approximately $33,000/year), some scholarship money, and as much money from her parents as they can give her (they work multiple menial jobs in housekeeping and construction), all of which covers 3/4 of the costs. She plans to work while at school, too. Nonetheless Zofia is still is short $15,000 per year.
Where the Money Will Go
Donation proceeds from this campaign will be sent by GoFundMe.com directly to Fairfield University in order to pay for her room and board so she can live on campus at least in her first year.
We were inspired to see how far people with undocumented status can go after reading this article about Julissa Arce, a former Goldman Sachs Vice President who was the subject of a recent profile in Bloomberg/Businessweek: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-25/how-an-undocumented-immigrant-from-mexico-became-a-star-at-goldman-sachs
Thank you for your consideration and please donate what you can to make Zofia’s dream come true!
--Meg McAuley Kaicher, Lisa Leshne, and Jennifer Stranzl
*Zofia is an alias as her real name has been kept confidential to protect her privacy. If you would like to learn more about her, or have other ideas on ways to help her further, then we are happy to discuss with you.
Additional Q&A:
Q: "Why not just choose a (cheaper) state school for Zofia that will give her a scholarship, or a more affordable community college option ?"
A: CT state schools may not be as progressive as schools in NY, CA and Texas that accept and offer scholarships and financial aid to undocumented Americans. UConn wait listed Zofia and wouldn't answer her financial aid questions. Other local schools denied her explicitly because of her undocumented status. Other private local universities to which she applied did accept her, but Fairfield offered her the most scholarship money, is her top choice, and financially is probably the most within reach. She did not want to attend community college, nor did she apply to one, given her top standing and grades at school and the fact that she only recently understood she could not get a federal loan, so she is really hoping a four-year university is the way that she can go to school.
Q: Why can't Zofia live off campus and commute to save money?
A: Commuting from her parents' home is a difficult option given weather, that traffic can be over two hours each way, and Zofia's car is quite old and may need costly maintenance over time. In addition, several Fairfield alums tell us that "campus life" is essential to become integrated and recommend she live on campus in her first year and ideally for all four years.
Organiser
Jennifer Stranzl
Organiser
Greenwich, CT
Fairfield University Advancement Office
Beneficiary