Help Farid fund KU Leuven studies to migrate

UPDATE (18/07): I am resuming my fundraising after a two-month hiatus, during which I focused on applying for grants. I have now received a national scholarship grant to cover the tuition fees. The fundraising goal is now significantly reduced to reflect only the remaining costs.

On this post:

Friends, family, and kind people of the internet. Thank you for your time.

My name is Farid.

Since I was 14, I’ve worked very hard and sacrificed a lot to pursue two dreams.

First, having grown up in poverty, I wish to earn just enough to fund a life of decency for my parents and myself—however modest that life looks—breaking the cycle of poverty my family has struggled with in Indonesia.

Second, I dream of living in a place where I can be safe, loved, and free. Growing up gay in Indonesia was the most traumatic experience in my life. As an adult, life is hypervigilant and fearful. I yearn more than anything for a chance to build a loving family of my own. In Indonesia, there is no future for this.

For my family and my future, I am determined to migrate.

After 24 months of working while researching, applying, and interviewing for hundreds of opportunities (scholarships, international traineeships, jobs, etc.), my most promising pathway to migrate is currently presented by a master’s degree at KU Leuven. Following this program, I will have two years to transition into a work-based residency permit in both Belgium and the Netherlands, and eventually permanent residency after 5 years.

KU Leuven, a top 70 global university, is one of the most affordable academic institutions for non-EU citizens. However, given my limited financial resources, I still need help to fund part of my study costs—an amount I need to secure before August 24 (deadline for Belgian student visa, 3 weeks before studies begin).

ABOUT ME AND MY PREMISE

Since high school, my education has been possible solely because of full-ride scholarships.

In 2016, the United World College funded my studies in Germany. There I lived alongside students from 101 countries under a shared mission of peace and sustainability. I later received another full scholarship to study media and psychology at the University of Oklahoma in the U.S. I graduated top-class with the highest distinction, earning both the Kappa Tau Alpha Honor—for the top 10% of media students across U.S. universities—and the Outstanding Psychology Student (Statistics) award—given to only one student per year for excellence in academics, psychology research, and community engagement.

Chasing my dream abroad was tough: I worked night shifts next to studies, battled the worst of depression away from family, and navigated—and paid for my own—psychiatric and psychological services that I never learned about growing up.

But, during my time outside of Indonesia, I also fell in love with human connections for the first time. I learned what it felt like to be seen—to stop guarding every piece of information out of fear of being “found out,” and to finally feel safe around others. I made arts, social projects, and the most earnest of friendships—things that became possible when life no longer demanded constant self-protection and concealment.

Even through a minimum-wage part-time work, portions of my earnings abroad also immensely helped my family—each dollar meant significantly more in Indonesia’s currency.

After graduating from college, the U.S. cut short my prospects for long-term residency. Against strict migration rules, no U.S. employers could/wanted to sponsor me long-term.

For now, I remain back home, earning USD 357 a month—an amount significantly trimmed by my monthly psychiatric medications and the need to support my withering parents (my father, a courier bike driver in his late 60s, earns USD 65 a month). I rely on my U.S. savings for now. The savings will run out by the end of this year.

MY KU LEUVEN OPPORTUNITY

KU Leuven has offered me admission for its one-year MSc in Communication Science. Building on my psychology and media background, I wish to pursue a research/teaching profession in social science, focusing on topics like digital literacy, (mis)information, and how we can protect children and adolescents from the detrimental effects of digital media.

I have a strong background in research, and I believe in my potential.

Besides KU Leuven, six other top global universities have offered me admission, each with varying levels of scholarships. However, KU Leuven remains the most affordable.

KU Leuven comes with three main costs: tuition fees, living costs, and miscellaneous costs (flight, visa, insurance, etc.).



***

Before writing this GoFundMe, I hit a low point. Among the hundreds of rejections I received, even the few opportunities I was offered were outweighed by barriers beyond my control—like financial shortfalls for partial scholarships, international work restrictions, etc. I felt helpless and powerless.

However, during this low moment, someone dear also told me: “The survivor of hardship is never average. Either the fire consumes them, or they consume the fire.”

Having faced my own fires in Indonesia—poverty, the most hurtful treatment from others, and an upbringing that taught me to despise myself—I believe I have what it takes to consume my fires.

But as difficult as it is to admit, I’ve come to understand that hard work and self-reliance can only take me so far. Sometimes, to keep fighting my fires, I need to ask for help.

Thank you for considering helping. Kindness from others continues to inspire me to be more loving to others.

I promise you I will make the best of this opportunity. I will study hard. Work hard. And, on the way, help those in need, as you do for me now.

I won’t let you down.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me for questions, clarifications, or documentation of my situation. Apart from GoFundMe and email, you can find me on Facebook (/fzuchrinata) and Instagram (@faridzuch). I’d be happy to provide anything not covered in enough detail here.