Funeral Costs & Bills for Ingrid's Dad

Emi Wang is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Ingrid Morales.

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Hey all, as many of you know, Ingrid is one of our amazing Summer Associates here with us this summer. Unfortunately, her dad has been battling COVID-19 for the past few weeks. On Tuesday, Ingrid's dad passed away due to complications from COVID. Here's a little bit of what Ingrid has to say about her dad:

My dad worked in manual labor for nearly 40 years… he started off as a janitor in downtown LA factories until he began installing countertops in affluent homes through a friend who gave him that opportunity. He wasn’t able to apply as a U.S. citizen either, but he was able to obtain a green card.

Since I’m a summer grad, I was able to participate during spring commencement which was a definite highlight for my dad, I was the first to graduate college in my family. He was so proud because he always wanted to finish school, but due to poverty in his family’s ranch in Mexico, he only finished the 6th grade; enough to read and write.

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Ingrid has been steadfast through all of this, but it's been challenging. Financial strains have made this time only more stressful. Ingrid's father was the primary income earner for her family. Ingrid's mother had a stroke earlier this year which left her with a paralyzed leg, and she had been dependent on Ingrid's father for care. In the short-term, they have to pay for funeral costs. In the long-term, the family has to figure out how to manage financially and pay mounting utility, insurance and other bills and debts.

For Ingrid herself, this also comes at a critical point. After struggling with housing and economic instability for much of her adult life, Ingrid graduated from UC Berkeley this year (!). But instead of being able to concentrate on her next steps and look for jobs, Ingrid has pretty much emptied out her savings flying back and forth home to LA and supporting her fam (in addition to having to move out of student housing this month and needing to pay first/last/security deposit on a new apartment).

It's been a joy working with Ingrid this summer, even amidst heartbreak. I know Ingrid and her family would appreciate any support we could send her way.