My name is Sierra Burns and I am a foster care alumnus. I went into the foster care system at 16 years after 16 years of experiencing child abuse. Despite my circumstances growing up, I am a current rising junior at Winthrop University, majoring in psychology and minoring in child and youth well-being, a subfield of social work. I am on the South Carolina Department of Social Services’ Youth Council, which involves standing up and advocating and giving a voice to foster youth, who cannot speak for themselves. I am also a McNair scholar through my college. I am currently doing psychological research on trauma, specifically childhood trauma, in order to help raise awareness and get a better grip on how we can further support these public health issues. I am pursuing a doctorate program after my undergraduate in Clinical Psychology in an effort to pursue research and help those with mental health issues to come up with plans to begin to treat these issues. The McNair program is, fortunately, going to help a lot in terms of getting into these programs, so I feel confident I can take on the challenge.

I am fortunate enough to have a university that partners with countries worldwide to study abroad. I have decided to embrace this opportunity and am attending Edge Hill University in the United Kingdom from September 2022 to December 2022. This semester abroad means the world to me and is a dream come true. Not only will I be able to experience the world, explore new cultures, and gain new insights, but I also intend to further my research and get cross-cultural data. This research will help the world as a whole.

In order to make this dream a reality, I need additional support. This support is critical and without it, I will not be able to take advantage of this incredible opportunity. I have outlined my expenses below and humbly ask for any support in realizing this dream to study abroad.

Financial Needs $1 USD = .80 Pounds 

Tier 1: Necessities: $3,070 

$160 - International Health Insurance 

$500 - other health needs (pads/tampons, toiletries, toilet paper, paper towels, laundry items, etc.) 

US Passport - $160 

Transportation needs - $1,000 

Food costs: $1,000 

Contact costs: $250 

Tier 2: Nice-to-have: $5,700 

Clothing expense: $1,000 

Room decor/bedding: $500 

Tuition help since Chafee is reducing this past year’s help from 12,000 a year back to 5,000 a year: $2,000-3,000 

Car & Insurance Payment while Abroad: $1200 Tier 3: Recreational: $1,000 

Souvenirs: $1,000 Leaving ~September 20th - December 18th