My portolio

Hi everyone,

My name is Nigina, and I am a rising senior studying Fashion Design. I was born and raised in Tajikistan and later moved from Russia to the US. I am dedicating this letter to anyone who might be able to help me with my tuition.

To keep it brief: your support would help me cover the remaining tuition for my third year and allow me to register for my senior classes. This would also help me maintain my visa status as an F-1 student so that I can continue my education in the US. I’m sure many of you are aware of how complicated the current border situation has become.

If you would like to know more, here is the longer explanation.

At the beginning of my junior year, I already had a GoFundMe posted because my visa status was in danger. The donations I received, together with help from my uncle, allowed me to register for classes and stay in the US.

Now, I’m sorry to say that during my third year, I’ve studied as much as I could and worked as much as I could, both physically and mentally. And trust me, guys, I worked every hour I was able to get. My friends helped me with food and transportation when I needed it, and I am incredibly grateful to them for that.

I was applying for jobs and finally started working as a Sales Stylist at Levi’s this summer. Every day, whether it was this job or my internship, I worked and saved as much as I could, even though I still have other smaller expenses to cover. I get paid minimum wage, so every hour counts.

I’ve done everything I can think of to make this work on my own, but I’m at the point where I have to admit that I don’t think I can make it alone.

As an international student, I don’t have access to federal financial aid, additional need-based financial aid, or FAFSA. I am only able to receive the private scholarship provided by my school, which I am incredibly grateful for. The rest of my tuition is genuinely more than I am able to cover on my own.

No matter how much I work — and I worked almost every day throughout the summer — I am still responsible for paying my tuition. I am asking for help because I have reached the limit of what I can realistically do by myself.

**If you are able to donate, even a small amount, it would genuinely make a difference. If you cannot donate, sharing this link with someone who might be willing to help would mean just as much to me. Even simply bringing attention to my situation helps.**

My parents live in Russia, and because of the salary conditions there and the difficulties with transferring money between the two countries, they are unable to help me financially. They also don’t know all the details because I know that, when they cannot help, it is only going to cause them more pain.

They have already had one of the hardest years of their lives, dealing with the loss of loved ones, car accidents, court hearings, threats, financial instability, and more. I am the only one of three children currently studying, because I was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship and support from people like you.

I am so dedicated to finishing my degree — not only because fashion is something I truly love, but also because I want to honor everything my family has sacrificed and given up for me to have this opportunity.

I have also asked my school for additional scholarship support. I have already filed a couple of petitions, but unfortunately, because the school is closing in a year, I was told that they are not able to provide additional assistance. The process of communicating with the school has been long, and I will continue trying in the hope that my investments in school life, my community, and my academic achievements can contribute to their decision.

I love working on the fashion design projects we do at school. No matter how stressful, exhausting, or sometimes unbearable those nights of work have been, this is still something I want to dedicate myself to.

And honestly, I’m grateful that I get the privilege of being tired because of something I have invested my soul into.

I want to finish this degree. I want to keep creating. I want to keep learning. And I want to be able to stay here long enough to do that.

If you would like to see what I’ve been working on, I have attached some photos of my work, and you can also visit my portfolio.

Thank you again to my friends, professors, classmates, and every kind stranger who has helped me in any way. Whether you donate, share my fundraiser, connect me with someone who may be able to help, or simply take the time to read my story — I truly appreciate you and wish knew english even better to thank you even more.

With love,

Nigina