Fundraising for Florence's tuition

Hello family, friends, acquaintances, classmates, and anyone finding themselves reading this post. My name is Florence Onabolu. I am a 24 years old Gerontological Social Work Senior at Metropolitan State University of Denver with a 3.78 GPA. I have set up this go fund me page to ask for your help with finishing my degree. May 2018 commencement day is around the corner; however, my graduation is at this point not very certain. Let me give you some background on myself and why I have set up this go fund me page to ask for your help with finishing my degree.

I came to MSU Denver as an international student from Nigeria in August 2015 with the intention to study social work to serve the geriatric population. One major question I have been asked by a lot of people is, why social work? Well, I come from a family of older adults with disabilities and health challenges. My dad, for example, who is 69 years old, was challenged with a loss of vision much of his life. Having seen first-hand the many challenges that older adults face as they age, my passion to support aging adults ignited and became stronger over time. In the beginning of my program at MSU Denver, my parents were a huge support and they did their best to contribute to my tuition and living expenses. My mom and dad retired from government service in Nigeria and due to recent situations within the harsh Nigerian economy my parents no longer receive their retirement pensions. Sadly they themselves are in a bad financial position and can no longer support my education at MSU Denver.

I currently work for the University Advancement office as a student employee making $10.75/hr., which helps me to pay my living expenses. However, due to limitations in the amount of hours I can work as an international student, I struggle to contribute towards my tuition costs. I need another $30,000 to pay off current tuition and next semester’s costs needed to complete my senior year. Unfortunately, I am not eligible to receive financial aid through the FAFSA program and I am not eligible for a majority of MSU Denver's institutional scholarships. I am scared in what the future holds for me. If I cannot pay to finish my degree, I cannot stay in the United States to graduate and fulfill my dream as a gerontological social worker. Luckily, I have good people in my life that have inspired me to keep pushing and not give up on my dream. With your help, I hope to raise enough money through this campaign to fund my tuition.

Since I was a little girl, I’ve been inspired by the saying, “little drops of water, make a mighty ocean”, and I have seen this manifest in so many ways around me. I am happy that there are people who care and hope with all my heart that my story is just the beginning of a great journey to helping and serving others. Please consider donating, whatever you can, to help me complete my degree here at MSU Denver. My greatest heartfelt thank you goes out to anyone who found themselves here, reading my story.