Hi,

My name is *Amy and I want to share my story with you. I am 21 years old, living in Jamaica. I am currently enrolled in Teachers College in with a specialty in culinary/nutrition. 

*Please note that *Amy has requested privacy and prefers to use a different name her photo not to be visible.

My mother had 12 children, all of them younger than me. We didn't grow up together, because at the age of 5, my mother left us on the side of the road. I was put into an all girls group home. My siblings were placed into other homes, or taken by their biological fathers. I didn't get the opportunity to meet any of my biological family members - all I had was the other children from my group home. I didn't have any birth information (certificate), and due to that, I couldn't attend school right away. The government tried to contact my mother but she was nowhere to be found, so with some time, the government was able to get a birth certificate for me. I was out of school for a long time, and was not able to read properly. Eventually, I was placed into Grade 6 - the grade to match my age. They did not test my previous knowledge - so joining this grade level was very hard for me. I was very frustrated but always  I tried my best in school. When I reached grade 8, I became an honor roll student and I have been ever since. I have worked extremely hard as I have set goals that I wanted to achieve. After high school, I took 8 CSEC** subjects, and I was successful in 7 of them.

At group homes, after you finish high school, that is when you're required to leave the home. Upon leaving the group home, I went to a friends house. I did not get the best treatment and was exposed to a lifestyle to which I did not have a choice, like sleeping on the floor. Frustration took me over and I went to work to help myself. At that time, only bar-tending jobs give you a room to stay and so I took the job and worked as a bartender. I did not like the bar-tending work because it exposes you to a different type of life and according to my birth paper I was only 17 years old. To this day, I am not really sure how old I am. I've  continued to work as a bar-tender and saved money to further my studies.

At the beginning of summer I was offered some help by a friend in Canada to start my college education. I had met this person through the Turn Around Projects of the Arts in 2012. I always wanted to be a teacher but did not have the funds to go to college - so I gladly took the opportunity! During my first year of college, I was very confused and worried that I would not do well. This stress showed in my grades. But, after my first year in college I decided that Teachers College is where I wanted to be and I was going to do whatever it takes to finish this degree! Unfortunately, the person who was helping me pay my tuition, was no longer able to continue funding me fully. I began looking into student loans, however, I required a guarantor. Due to my past, and not having many people in my life - I was not able to secure a guarantor for a loan. So, I tried to make other money. I started cleaning lecturer flats in order to make some money, and found other individuals to help me once in a while.

My dream is to finish college and help someone else achieve their goals and let them know that regardless of your past, they still can make it.

I served my college in Student Council for 1 year but I was unable to maintain the position due to time. People have asked me to continue my role as a Hall Representative and serve them because I do this job well. I am considering it going in my final semester for third year. I am supposed to go in my final semester of year 3 . I passed all my courses and have an A average as of now. Based on my area of specialization at school, most of the courses aren't offered in the evening and if I should do evening classes I would have to find somewhere to live or rent in which I would need a little assistance to start me off. I work in the summers and pay my school fee for September period - but when it comes to January I have to source it elsewhere. I would really appreciate any help that can be given to me. 

Teaching is not just a job but it's a calling hence the reason I chose teaching. To guide others and help others to show them there's always a way.

I am looking to raise $2200 for my current semester (January to April, 2019). This will cover the costs of tuition, books, practical assessments, rent, and food. If I do not raise these funds, I will not be able to continue my education.

Breakdown:
$1000 - Tuition
$300 - Books, Practical assessments
$500 - Rent, Living expenses
$300 - Personal items (food, transportation, personal care etc.)
$100 - the Go Fund Me fees that will associate with the costs above

Funds are in US Dollars, so we have made the campaign goal $2500.

Please help me finish my degree.

Your donation is greatly appreciated.

~



**The Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination is offered in January for re-sit and private candidates and in May/June for in-school candidates and private candidates. CSEC subjects are examined for certification at the General and Technical Proficiencies. The General and Technical Proficiencies provide students with the foundation for further studies and entry to the workplace. The Council now offers a total of 33 subjects, that is, 28 subjects at General Proficiency and 5 at Technical Proficiency. The six-point grading scheme reports on the performance of the candidate under six overall and profile grades as follows: Overall grades – I, II, III, IV, V, VI   Profile grades – A, B, C, D, E, F
The Council has advised tertiary institutions and Ministries of Education in participating territories that Grades I – III at the General and Technical Proficiencies should be considered as satisfying the matriculation requirement for four-year programmes at universities and entry requirement to community colleges, teachers’ colleges and any tertiary institution offering post-secondary programmes.

***Please note this campaign is being organized by Amy, however the administrative end is being supported by members of the Turn Around Project of the Arts, who met Amy in 2012 in Jamaica. The administration is being supported because Amy does not have reliable access to a computer or internet. All funds are going directly to Amy through Western Union, as Amy cannot set up a financial account to connect with Go Fund Me. All words were written by Amy, and photo was selected by Amy.