My name is Olivia Rose I am 27 years old. I grew up in Tampa, Florida raised in a multi cultural household with an immigrant father. His dream since immigrating here in the early 90s was simple. It was back when the American Dream was very much alive and he wanted nothing more than to be a success story. An immigrant who came with his 4 brother, 4 sisters and parents, hoping to work within their own businesses and receive education to make the dream a reality, have more children and raise a successful lineage. My father's first language was Arabic and he regards Sesame Street as being a huge reason why he was able to learn English when he came here.

I have wanted nothing more in this life than to make my parents proud of me, to be a good mother and to be a helpful, caring hand in the community. As soon as I was able to, I started working at a very young age. I was taught that hard work would always pay off if I tried hard enough. This mentality had me working myself to the bone. I was a grocery store associate and a Barista, working 2 jobs at 6 months pregnant with my first child and raised him as a single mother for 4 years on my own without a partner. During this time I began to work as a teacher to infants and children up to VPK ages. This was the most rewarding job I had, I felt like I had a true purpose in life and I was so fulfilled in my heart knowing that what I did made a difference. I had so much fun experiencing the joy and wholesomeness of being a teacher. However, we should all know that life is full of mystery and circumstances we cannot predict, it is not simply black and white and tends to be more complicated than we can anticipate.

At around 19 years of age I was involved in a "freak-accident". I barely grazed a curb on the road in my car, which rubbed the tire in such a way that it popped. The force of popping the tire and overcorrection sent me directly into a tree. I faintly remember trying to step out of the vehicle, not knowing where I was, vision completely blurred and disoriented. People nearby had witnessed the crash and came running to help call an ambulance where I was taken to the hospital for further examination. At the time I had a serious concussion as the crash deployed airbags and the force of the impact slammed my head directly into my window. I had a giant extending lump protruding from the side of my head. Besides this, my legs were slightly crushed and bruised up and down. Luckily I survived. When they scanned my brain at the hospital, I was cleared for any brain damage, yet they told me symptoms of TBI don't usually surface until years later. Well, years later I am having trouble with my memory, speech and many other symptoms of brain damage.

In 2024, all my brain issues became aggravated by 3 more car accidents, of no fault of my own!! These accidents happened in the span of 3 months. The first time I was fully stopped waiting for the person in front of me to pull out from a parking lot. He decided he didn't want to go that way and reversed directly into my car. About 2 weeks later, before my car had yet to be repaired, I was side swiped while stopped at a traffic light by someone trying to merge into a turning lane. Finally, about a month later, I parked my rental vehicle in a parking lot and was promptly rear-ended by someone trying to pull into that spot behind me at a fast rate of speed. This final rear-ending incident caused whiplash, and then permanent injury to my neck and spine. I now have cervical spinal stenosis in my C6 column, a buldging disk in my lumbar along with bone spurring (think of what it looks like when you crack a chicken bone), nerve damage and osseous lesions in my neck and spine. I cannot stand for long periods of time or hold slightly weighted objects without feeling my legs go completely numb. During this time I was working as a teacher and ultimately had to stop working there because of my new physical disabilities. I could no longer safely hold babies in my arms without feeling like a safety hazard.

As you can imagine, my life drastically changed. I began using mobility aids like a walker, a cane and other accessible tools like a grabber claw so I would not have to strain my body too much bending over. Disability/SSI benefits are notoriously hard to be approved for, even in cases of terminal cancer. The system is very prone to failing those in need.

All of this to say, I have tried doing my due diligence for years now to be successful in the eyes of my Father, myself and my child. Even today I try my best to work with animals in a way that can provide some income within my capabilities. I did not give up on myself but circumstances do make it extremely hard to stay determined.

I am expecting the arrival of another baby in October of 2026 and although I do my absolute best to try and accrue what I can and use the resources I have provided to me, the process to access to these resources are either slow or hard to obtain. I have tried applying again for a federal student loan via FAFSA, but because I am in default I am not able to be approved for financial aid. I have a previous loan from 1 semester of college that I ultimately did not stick with because I tried so hard to make my father happy by going to school, and meanwhile I was not happy because it is not what my heart truly wanted. This loan was provided almost 10 years ago. Due to financial stress and everything mentioned above, it has been almost impossible for me to receive financial aid that way. I'd also like to mention that those types of websites are designed intentionally to be difficult, and with mental and physical disability it is SO hard to understand and navigate to see what must be done to be approved.

I am humbly asking for help to pay my tuition and fees to pursue something I KNOW I have passion for and want to continue to learn and become LICENSED so I may legally practice as a Nail Technician, to hopefully better my future for myself, my son and my soon to be baby. The program I was initially interested in was for full cosmetology license, as this would enable me to open my own salon in the future. However, I feel as though I am running out of time and just trying my hardest to be a good mom and a good human. I decided I would be happy just to be licensed as a Nail Technician until I could get my student aid approved for the full cosmetology education and license. The Nail Technician program does not fit criteria for student aid, so it is fully out of pocket expenses. I have included a price breakdown on what I would be using the funding for as well as some pictures of the work I've done and want to continue my education for.

My dad is now much older, having issues in his colon and is diabetic, amongst other medical issues that are essentially killing him. He is practically withering away before my eyes and he feels pressured to "have something to show for it" before he dies. In a way I feel as though I have failed him and that he will die with a disappointment of a daughter. I've tried avoiding fundraising based on these premises that I should be the one to "work harder". But simply put, you can not take a fish out of the ocean and expect it to breathe air like every other land-dwelling animal, meaning that people should not be pushed beyond a point they are not intended for. I have always believed this is how many people end up suffering. Myself included.

I am not someone who is lazy or not trying hard enough. I am just human asking for help to get better. ANYTHING is appreciated from my whole heart. I would love to pursue this passion and make my family and myself proud. Feel capable again and with a purpose.

THANK YOU for spending the time to read my story.

Price Breakdown:

$50.00 Application Fee

$100.00 Registration Fee

$3,000.00 Tuition

$1,593.00 Academy Kit

$301.00 Books

$150.00 Uniform

$350.00 One Time Supply and Product Fee

Total: $5,544.00