Hi! My name is Mihir and I’m a fourth-year computer engineering student at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

It is an understatement to say that the past few years have been financially challenging for my family and I. It is only through determination, a lot of help, and a little bit of luck that we’ve been able to make it this far.

Now with just two more semesters of school to go and an expected graduation this December, my family and I have been unable to keep up with tuition payments, despite our best efforts. If I cannot pay my outstanding tuition, registration for my next two semesters will be blocked. In the best case, my graduation would be delayed for another year, and in the worst case, I would have to abandon the degree I’ve worked towards for the last four years. Having come so far and with so much at risk, I humbly ask for your support.

It has been a long and arduous journey to even get here and I’ve had to work very hard to stay afloat. After my second year in 2021, the financial strain of paying tuition started to become too much and I decided to go on sixteen months of co-op (internships) to buy some time. I was fortunate enough to secure two full-time eight month internships during which I was able to consistently pay off small amounts of my tuition. In my third year, I got a part-time job at a restaurant. With the job and some extreme financial discipline, I was able to cover my living costs over the school year. This summer, I landed a full-time internship that allowed me to contribute CA$11,000 towards my tuition over four months.

I have been employed in some shape or form – whether it was making pizza or writing code – since April 2021. While this has allowed my family and I to focus less on covering my living costs and more on paying tuition, it unfortunately hasn’t been enough.

At the moment, I’m lucky enough (especially in a city like Vancouver) to be able to completely cover my living costs through my part-time engineering position which means that all funds raised will go directly toward paying my outstanding tuition for term 1 (CA$9,401.98) and term 2 (CA$26,750.34).

No matter how much you decide to donate, know that it will make a difference and that I will always remember your kindness.