My name is Shera.

I am an autistic mom raising three neurodivergent children, married to a disabled Canadian veteran. I’m asking for support to complete my Master of Social Work so I can return to stable, meaningful work that supports my family and allows me to continue serving others long-term.

I’ve spent my life navigating trauma that began in early childhood. Healing has never been neat or linear, but I have never stopped choosing it. I chose it for myself, and I chose it for my children. That commitment to healing, dignity, and care is what led me to social work.

For more than two decades, I worked in helping professions, supporting people through mental health challenges, disasters, crisis and care systems. Social work is not a career change for me. It is the formal continuation of work I have already dedicated my life to.

In 2023, after contracting COVID, my health never fully recovered. I was later diagnosed with progressive spinal stenosis, a painful condition that permanently altered my mobility and daily life. Even so, I refused to give up on building a sustainable future for my family.

At 50 years old, I bet on myself and applied to the Master of Social Work program at St. Thomas University and was accepted. I began my MSW in September 2025 and have just completed my first semester. My grades reflect the discipline, resilience, and determination it has taken to get here.

I have already paid for my first year of tuition.

Now I’m asking for help with my second year so I don’t have to abandon this opportunity simply because finances are tight.

This is who I am doing this for:

• I am the primary caregiver to a neurodivergent family with lifelong needs

• Our oldest son is an autistic adult who will live with us long-term

• Our two younger children are also neurodivergent and rely on my advocacy and consistency

• My husband is a disabled Canadian veteran

• Our household survives on a fixed pension income

• I am unable to work while studying full-time due to caregiving responsibilities

Completing my MSW is how I build long-term stability for my family while continuing to support others navigating disability, trauma, caregiving, and neurodivergence.

This degree is about dignity.

It’s about stability.

It’s about showing my children that even when life is heavy, you keep going.

Your support will help cover:

• Second-year MSW tuition and 900 hours of unpaid placements

• Reducing financial strain and debt

• Allowing me to focus on school and caregiving rather than survival

If you’re able to donate, thank you.

If you’re able to share, that matters more than you know.

I’m not asking for a handout.

I’m asking for the chance to finish what I started.

With gratitude,

Shera ✨