Help Furtuna Get to College
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Ms. Furtuna Tekle is a 20-year-old high school senior who has overcome unimaginable challenges on her own, but now she needs your help to fulfill her dream of attending college.
Eleven-year-old Furtuna fled the fascist dictatorship of Eritrea with her mother and younger siblings in 2009. She and her family spent the next seven years surviving in a refugee camp in the middle of the Ethiopian desert, eventually reuniting with her father who had escaped Eritrea in 2006. While there, Furtuna walked long distances to attend school each day, studying hard and ultimately earning the Shimelba Refugee Camp’s First-in-Class award each of those seven years. Furtuna was the first woman in her family to become literate.
Upon being granted a U.S. visa in August 2016, Furtuna arrived in Seattle on refugee status. After three months, when all refugee agency support had run out, Furtuna and her family found themselves homeless. They navigated the streets of Renton, Bellevue, and Seattle for eight months, sleeping in shelters and tent cities. Still, Furtuna managed to get to school each day and earn a 3.6 GPA while learning English as her second language. Now, as a senior at Nathan Hale High School, Fortuna is continuing to push herself by taking college classes through Washington’s Running Start program.
Furtuna dreams of attending a university and majoring in chemistry as the first step toward becoming a doctor. The University of Puget Sound has recognized Furtuna as an exceptional young woman--offering her admission for Fall 2018, along with the UPS President’s Scholarship for her academic excellence. This scholarship, combined with work study, federal/state need grants, and federal student loans (the maximum allowed), fully covers Furtuna’s UPS tuition. But unfortunately, she still needs to pay for room and board.
Furtuna is working hard to apply for as many independent scholarships as possible to cover the $12,000 gap. Although hesitant at first, she has agreed to take the advice of University of Puget Sound faculty and let me start a GoFundMe campaign on her behalf. As the parent of a Nathan Hale student, and as a UPS alumni, I'm particularly moved by Furtuna's story.
She needs to know in the next few weeks if she'll be able to pay the $12,000 fees. If she can't, Futurna will have to revise her college plans.
Let’s help this remarkable young woman, and future American doctor, follow her college dream. Any size contribution will help.
Read Furtuna’s personal statement.
Thank you!
Dana
Eleven-year-old Furtuna fled the fascist dictatorship of Eritrea with her mother and younger siblings in 2009. She and her family spent the next seven years surviving in a refugee camp in the middle of the Ethiopian desert, eventually reuniting with her father who had escaped Eritrea in 2006. While there, Furtuna walked long distances to attend school each day, studying hard and ultimately earning the Shimelba Refugee Camp’s First-in-Class award each of those seven years. Furtuna was the first woman in her family to become literate.
Upon being granted a U.S. visa in August 2016, Furtuna arrived in Seattle on refugee status. After three months, when all refugee agency support had run out, Furtuna and her family found themselves homeless. They navigated the streets of Renton, Bellevue, and Seattle for eight months, sleeping in shelters and tent cities. Still, Furtuna managed to get to school each day and earn a 3.6 GPA while learning English as her second language. Now, as a senior at Nathan Hale High School, Fortuna is continuing to push herself by taking college classes through Washington’s Running Start program.
Furtuna dreams of attending a university and majoring in chemistry as the first step toward becoming a doctor. The University of Puget Sound has recognized Furtuna as an exceptional young woman--offering her admission for Fall 2018, along with the UPS President’s Scholarship for her academic excellence. This scholarship, combined with work study, federal/state need grants, and federal student loans (the maximum allowed), fully covers Furtuna’s UPS tuition. But unfortunately, she still needs to pay for room and board.
Furtuna is working hard to apply for as many independent scholarships as possible to cover the $12,000 gap. Although hesitant at first, she has agreed to take the advice of University of Puget Sound faculty and let me start a GoFundMe campaign on her behalf. As the parent of a Nathan Hale student, and as a UPS alumni, I'm particularly moved by Furtuna's story.
She needs to know in the next few weeks if she'll be able to pay the $12,000 fees. If she can't, Futurna will have to revise her college plans.
Let’s help this remarkable young woman, and future American doctor, follow her college dream. Any size contribution will help.
Read Furtuna’s personal statement.
Thank you!
Dana
Organizer and beneficiary
Dana Korch
Organizer
Seattle, WA
Furtuna Tekle
Beneficiary