Completing my Final Year at King's College London

Hello everyone,

My name is Mariam Zbadi and I am a final year Mathematics and Philosophy student at King's College London.


I was so much looking forward to my final year at university, but unfortunately my circumstances have changed and I can no longer count on the financial support of my father. He was the main source of income in my family, but on the 2nd of January 2020, he sent me a message telling me that he was leaving us and leaving the country to never come back, and then I lost any contact with him. He left me with a deep emotional and financial instability, as well as a huge obstacle to completing my final year of university, and get the degree for which I have worked with great passion and dedication.


I am the daughter of immigrants that moved from Morocco to Italy looking for new opportunities. For me that was just the beginning as I was always dreaming big. Since I was 14 I knew that what I wanted was to study at a Top University in London, so I have been working hard for years to reach this goal. I have graduated high school with 100/100 and I have been awarded for 4 years for belonging to the top 50 best performing students. It is needless to say how excited and energized I was when I got the offer to study Mathematics and Philosophy at King's College London. Once at university, I have managed to get a First Class both in my first and second year, and this because I am deeply in love with what I am doing! To me that was the reward for all of my hard work, it was the beginning of the journey of my dreams.


Now that there is just one year left to complete this journey, I cannot give it up and watch it fade away without attempting everything that is in my power, and this is the reason why I am asking for your precious help. I did not do that before because I was hoping that I could find another alternative. I tried to find a job but, in spite of hundreds of applications both in Italy and in the UK, that was impossible because of the Pandemic, I tried to get a loan form the bank, but I was required the signature of a working parent, I have also applied for a hardship fund at university, but I never got a response. On top of this, my brother is in his last year of university as well, which makes things even harder. I also thought that I could have gotten something via legal procedures, but unfortunately this was not the case as, after almost 8 months since he left, I still have nothing at all. Therefore, it is extremely important to me being able to find a solution as soon as possible because September is not that far!


The financial estimate is the following:


Rent (with deposit and agency fees): £ 14,000

Living Costs (food, bills, academic material, etc...): £ 4,000

Transport: £ 1,000

Total: £ 19,000       Equivalent to around: € 20,900


Thank you to everyone who took the time to read the whole story. I would be very happy about any kind of help, whether you can donate or share my story with your network.

Thank you again for your time.


Mariam Zbadi