Help Conrado Get Back to School!

Hello friends!

I hope I can count on you to make a donation to help me return to school. Think of it as an investment in my future! As you may not know, I never actually had a chance to finish my undergraduate studies. Being in college was a dream to me when I was in High School, something I never thought would be possible. My grades were terrible, people would tell me colleges weren't allowed to give me a diploma because of my immigration status, and even if I did graduate, I'd never be able to put it to work.

Getting accepted to UMass Boston felt like a validation more of my dream than of my reality; getting the acceptance letter in our apartment in Malden I felt like the world was finally giving me the chances that I thought I would never get.

Unfortunately it wasn't as simple as that (it never is!). After an incredible year and a half, I was forced to leave school when it became too difficult for my parents to burden the cost of tuition. It was hard to return to the drift of not knowing, back to the place of searching for paths when I thought I had found mine.

SIM came for me when things were darkest, and offered me the opportunity to work as an organizer for two years. Through there I met many of you, in Boston and throughout the country, won big victories, fought big battles, and hopefully I made a positive impression in your life or the lives of people around you.

It is difficult for me, but I ask for your help in coming back to school. My path is calling me again, and my spirit is telling me to listen. Your donation will allow me to register for the Fall semester at UMass Boston so I can complete 2 years' worth of credits, which will put me in a much stronger position to transfer to a private school or secure additional scholarships for my final 2 years.

Thanks again, and feel free to ask any questions you may have!