Help Me Pay Off School

My name is Mirusha and I am a second year master's of public policy candidate at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. I am done, and have passed all my classes, but I have to pay about 20,000 dollars in tuition. I received the maximum amount from government assistance but OSAP refuses to release the money to me (I learned this last Thursday (5/16) after going through a rigorous appeal process and the Ontario government ultimately declining my appeal).

My mother works at a factory and gives me a hand when she can, but it is incredibly difficult for her as she earns minimum wage. My family is in a dire financial situation as well because my father was unemployed for 3+ years due to being diagnosed with prostate cancer, seeking radiation, and general mental health issues. He recently started working again, but does not make enough to help support me and my family. I cannot qualify for a bank's student loan because my parents do not make enough of an income. If I can pay this, I will be the first person in my entire family to get a graduate degree. I've worked the entire time I've been in school and that has helped me pay for rent and necessities. This is all to say, I am very concerned that I will not be able to pay the entirety of my tuition, and would sincerely appreciate any help. 

At the University of Toronto, I garnered a rigorous understanding of the interworkings of the policy process and government. I was selected as a U of T representative to attend the Black Policy Conference at the Harvard Kennedy School with full funding. With a combination of insights from the conference, and my additional research, I produced a work titled “Racist Algorithms Exist: How Data and AI Can Target People of Colour ”, which is the most visited article on the Public Policy and Governance Review website. I also published a piece on surveillance methods practiced during the gentrification process in Vancouver, British Columbia and Austin, Texas, called “A Part Yet Apart ”.

Furthermore, I worked at the Ontario Digital Service and the Policy Innovation Hub at the Ontario Public Service. My knowledge on innovation, design thinking, and user centered approaches was significantly expanded due to these roles. 

I am currently working at a service design consulting firm called Bridgeable as a Project Journalist! I am so incredibly excited for this pursuit and all the opportunities and learnings that working at Bridgeable will bring me.

Please check out my website, for more on the work I've done and the dreams I have.