Main fundraiser photo

Keep George in NYU

Donation protected
Hello friends, family, and the internet



This time last year y'all came the fuck through and I raised enough money to pay for a year and a half of NYU.  Now I need to raise the rest or I won't be able to continue this spring. At about a cost of ~16k a semester after, financial aid, scholarships, and federal student loans. I'll need ~50k to cover the last three semesters. So, I'm trying to raise 65k to have enough after gofundme's fees and yearly tuition increases. 

If you want to help out more check out my twitter @georgelmachado 

Thank you very much.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was accepted to the Game Design program at NYU but I can't go because they only offered me $4,500 in scholarships even though I get a full pell grant. They tell me my award is so low because I'm a transfer student and I can't appeal the decision until I complete a year also for the same reason. I also can't defer my decision because I'm a transfer (which they didn't tell me until I was accepted). I have been and am currently applying to every scholarship I can find, but they only range from $500-$3000, there is no guarantee that I’ll win them all and they won't come in time for me to pay the bill on Aug 7th. My plan was to take out a loan for this year and appeal my decision for the following one. I've applied to a loan with my parents as co-signers but was denied.

This program is highly competitive and an incredible opportunity and there is no equivalent in any CUNY school. I was hesitant to start a go fund me because if it goes viral and my landlord finds out I could lose my apartment because I can't be in this particular low-income housing program and be a full time student. This apartment has been in my family for 22 years and it is a large part of why going back school is in any way possible given the rising cost of rent in New York. But here I am taking this risk and having my friend start a crowdfunding campaign on my behalf in hopes that it offers me a little protection.

This is my second attempt at going to college I dropped out in 2011 at twenty years old. Being the first in my family to go to college I was overwhelmed and unprepared for what it entailed. In the intervening seven years I have managed musicians, produced music videos, done work as a community organizer and activist, and learned carpentry and metalworking which is my current job. I can say after all of this I am a different person with a wonderful support network that will ensure I succeed on this new venture that I’m beyond excited about.

The capacity of video games to effect cultural change and shape identities is already evident: my generation -and the ones after mine- have grown up on them and the language, themes, and characters from these games have become part of our cultural lexicon. However, what is possible for games as a storytelling medium as well as who has agency over what stories are being told is still under explored and full of potential. The games industry has never been very diverse,  but that is changing slowly and instead of sitting on the sidelines waiting for it to happen, I want to be part of that wave and have the chance to have my voice as an Afro-Dominican be heard amongst the new developers entering the field. 

My tuition is $29,507 per semester without room and board. I’m receiving $11,560.50 in grants, scholarships, and federal loans per semester which leaves me with a cost of $17,946.50 per semester making the year a total cost of $35,893. I am trying to raise $40,000 to give me some room for the go fund me fees and any unforeseen expenses. If I reach my goal I plan on continuing to raise funds for the following years and if by some miracle this passes $160,000 I would like to give all additional funds to other students of color in the program.

 

My network is thicc so I'm throwing this out there in hopes that a miracle comes my way.
Donate

Donations 

  • Anonymous
    • $25
    • 5 yrs
Donate

Organizer

George Machado
Organizer
Brooklyn, NY

Your easy, powerful, and trusted home for help

  • Easy

    Donate quickly and easily

  • Powerful

    Send help right to the people and causes you care about

  • Trusted

    Your donation is protected by the GoFundMe Giving Guarantee