Help Darrah Stay at Spelman

TLDR: My name is Darrah Blackwell, sophomore and Dean’s List student majoring in psychology at Spelman College in Atlanta. On Thursday, I learned that my payment plan was terminated, I was unenrolled from my classes, and placed on an academic hold due to an outstanding balance. I did everything I was supposed to do: completed all my financial aid apps on time, asked all the questions, applied for all the scholarships, and worked my butt off in class and at my part-time job. I will still have an outstanding balance of $10k after securing the $4,000 deposit to enroll in the payment plan and secure all of my classes. I am solely responsible for financing my education and seeking your support to help maintain my dream of being a Spelman grad. While all my sources of aid have been exhausted, this GoFundMe is my final attempt to remain on campus. If I cannot raise the necessary amount, then I will be returning home in 9 days. Additional funds will go towards outstanding balances on my account that currently stands at 10k. This would help reduce the cost of future payment plans.

Hi everyone,

My name is Darrah Blackwell and I am a sophomore at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. I am a Dean’s List student majoring in psychology with a concentration in mental health.While my time at Spelman has been fruitful, there is one barrier that persists: affordability.

This past Thursday, I was greeted with an email from the student accounts center. Without warning, my payment plan was terminated, I was unenrolled from my Spring courses, and placed on an academic hold. I anxiously contacted my financial aid office and scholarship coordinator for support and guidance but was instead met with the repetitive tone of irritability that first gen/low income students know all too well. When I sought help, I was told that I “should’ve known” and that I “should’ve done it” already. Despite prioritizing communication with them, the same awareness was not returned to me.

Despite my efforts and consistent communication with the financial aid office throughout the summer months and their assurance of a manageable balance, I was still presented with a cost that I could not afford. Both their language and treatment are reflections of their lack of care and concern for students like myself. The assumption was that my family possessed a level of affluence that matched that of my peers but, to the financial aid rep’s surprise, that was far from my reality. I am solely responsible for financing my education and seeking funding. While I have been able to fulfill my role as a student by excelling in classes, securing internships, and earning achievements like the Dean's List, I still struggle to persist because of my low income status.

Thus far, I have utilized scholarship funds, loans, and other means of crowd sourcing funds to finance my education here at Spelman. I have also gotten a job at the local coffee shop this semester to help with funding. However, I have completely exhausted all my options for this semester. I am hoping this GoFundMe can help fund my education so I can continue to make space for students like myself and persist to graduation. I currently have until January 26th to reach a goal of $4000 to cover my pending balance or I have to leave Spelman.

When I reflect on my time at Spelman, I can say that I’ve grown into my identity as a young black woman, radiating confidence in every space that I am in, which emphasizes the impact that Spelman and the community has had on me. Spelman has shown me that I am more than deserving of a seat in every space, while also teaching me that I don’t have to “water” myself down to cater to the fragility of those around me. Additionally, I have been exposed to an amazing network of people within the AUC that has shown me community, ambition, and friendship in the best ways. For these reasons, I am launching this fundraiser. While all my sources of aid have been exhausted, this GoFundMe is my final attempt to remain on campus. If I cannot raise the necessary amount, then I will be returning home in 9 days. I am not ready to give up on my dream of pursuing my education at Spelman.

When I received my Spelman acceptance letter in December 2021, it marked the beginning of an amazing journey. Attending Spelman, given my financial situation, has been one of the biggest risks I've taken, but I don’t regret it. I followed my dream to attend this school and it has been one of the best experiences I’ve ever made in regards to my development and orientation of the world as a Black woman. This is an experience that I am, and will forever be, grateful for and would like to continue to experience as I complete my undergraduate journey. Will you consider helping me in this journey? I have 9 days to fulfill the necessary amount of $4,000 to re-enroll in my semester payment plan and register for spring semester classes. I will still have an outstanding balance of 10k after securing the $4,000 deposit. Any amount is extremely helpful and I thank everyone in advance for the love, help, and support! It means the world.

The Princeton University Preparatory Program (PUPP), my high school college access program, has agreed to help fulfill my goal if I can reach the amount required to continue my education at Spelman College.